MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 


>^ 


"  From  the  departure  of  the  First  Consul  for  the  campaign  of 
Marengo,  whither  I  attended  him,  until  the  departure  from  Fontaine- 
bleau,  where  I  was  obliged  to  leave  the  Emperor,  I  was  absent 
from  him  only  twice,  the  first  time  for  three  limes  twenty-four 
hours,  the  second  for  seven  or  eight  days.  Aside  from  these  brief 
holidays,  the  last  of  which  was  necessary  in  order  to  restore  my 
health,  I  quitted  the  Emperor  no  more  than  his  shadow  did."  — 
Constant's  Memoirs  {^Introduction) , 


Memoirs  of  Constant 

FIRST  VALET   DE  CHAMBRE  OF  THE    EMPEROR 
ON  THE 

PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON 

HIS   FAMILY   AND   HIS   COURT 


TRANSLATED  BY 

ELIZABETH    GILBERT   MARTIN 

IVITH  A   PREFACE    TO    THE   ENGLISH  EDITION 
BY 

IMBERT  DE  SAINT-AMAND 


Vol.  I 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1895 


COPYRIGHT,   1895,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


Nortxinolj  l^rtea 

J.  S.  Cuahing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith 
Norwood  Mali.  U.S.A. 


PREFACE  TO   THE  ENGLISH   EDITION 

By  Imbert  de  Saint-Amand 

~l  TISTORY  is,  of  all  branches  of  literature,  that 
which  has  made  the  most  progress.  Like 
science  it  now  rests  upon  both  analysis  and  synthesis 
and  disdains  details  no  more  than  generalities.  The 
time  is  past  when  historians  studied  neither  the  char- 
acter of  their  personages  nor  what  one  might  call  the 
stage  decorations  amid  which  the  events  treated  of 
took  place.  Psychology  and  local  color  have  regained 
their  rights.  History  was  formerly  a  simple  mono- 
chrome ;  it  is  now  a  splendid  fresco.  One  of  the  causes 
of  this  happy  change  is  the  extreme  importance  that 
memoirs  have  come  to  have.  Their  authors  are  just 
so  many  ocular  and  auricular  witnesses  who  defile  in 
turn  before  their  contemporaries  or  before  posterity, 
and  whose  depositions,  reciprocally  rectified,  furnish 
public  opinion  with  the  means  of  rendering  its  judg- 
ments upon  men  and  things.  Thanks  to  memoirs, 
the  remark  of  Michelet  is  realized:  "History  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead."  It  is  memoirs  that  have 
prompted  it  to  use  at  the  same  time  the  telescope  and 
the  magnifying-glass.  The  passion  for  detail  has 
nothing  puerile  about  it.     The  infinitely  little  play  a 

V 


VI  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTAXT 

great  r81e  in  nature  and  in  history,  as  Pasteur  and 
Taine  have  demonstrated. 

In  proportion  as  the  popularity  of  the  novel  dimin- 
ishes, that  of  memoirs  increases.  We  begin  to  realize 
that  there  are  no  inventions  so  impressive  as  reality. 
Could  a  novelist,  however  great  his  genius,  ever  find 
as  extraordinary,  as  pathetic,  and  as  attractive  mate- 
rial as  the  destinies  of  Marie-Antoinette  and  Napo- 
leon? What  character  imagined  by  Alexandre  Dumas 
or  by  Balzac  can  be  compared  with  the  Martyr  Queen 
or  with  the  modern  Charlemagne  ?  We  witness  at 
this  moment  in  the  New  World  as  in  the  Old  the  tri- 
umph of  what  might  be  called  Napoleonic  literature. 
Chateaubriand  has  said  in  his  Memoires  d' Outre 
Tomhe :  "  The  world  belongs  to  Bonaparte  —  that 
which  the  spoiler  could  not  finish  conquering,  his 
fame  usurps.  Living,  he  failed  of  the  world;  dead, 
he  possesses  it."  One  may  add  that  in  no  legend  is 
there  more  poetry  than  there  is  in  his  history.  When 
the  Shah  of  Persia  came  to  Paris  under  the  presi- 
dency of  Marshal  MacMahon,  the  first  visit  of  the 
Asiatic  sovereign  was  to  the  tomb  of  the  Emperor  at 
the  Invalides,  and  before  descending  into  the  crypt 
he  respectfully  took  off  his  sword  as  if  he  dared  not 
appear  armed  before  the  shade  of  the  great  man. 
What  country  of  the  universe  is  there  in  which  the 
echo  of  this  magic  name  Napoleon  has  not  vibrated. 
The  giant  of  battles,  the  victor  of  Austerlitz,  the 
vanquished  of  Waterloo,  the  captive  of  Saint-Helena 
is  the  principal  personage  of  the  epoch,  which  is  it- 


PREFACE   TO  ENGLISH  EDITION  vii 

self  but  ca  series  of  phenomenal  wonders.  No  century 
has  produced  a  man  so  extraordinary,  so  great  an 
artist  in  prestige  and  glory- 

M.  George  Duruy,  son  of  the  celebrated  historian, 
has  recently  written  in  the  introduction  to  the 
Memoirs  of  Barras  which  he  has  just  published: 
"  The  Emperor  continues  tranquilly  to  dominate  the 
century,  on  the  threshold  of  which  his  colossal  figure 
stands.  Such  is  the  statue  of  Memnon  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Egyptian  desert.  Sacrilegious  hands 
have  tried  to  disfigure  the  calm  visage  of  granite 
which  the  centuries  had  respected,  but  so  long  as 
men  shall  exist  they  will  pause  pensive  at  the  foot  of 
the  giant  image  and  measure  their  littleness  by  its 
grandeur.  Thus  will  posterity  stand  before  the 
sphinx  with  enigmatic  and  sovereign  countenance  — 
Napoleon."  The  events  in  which  the  man  of  destiny 
took  part  present  themselves  to  our  mind  in  propor- 
tions as  epic  and  as  grandiose  as  if  they  dated  back 
to  the  most  distant  ages,  and  the  heroes  of  the 
Empire  have  already  become  lyric  personages  like 
the  legionaries  of  Csesar  or  the  Knights  of  Charle- 
magne. Since  the  striking  success  of  the  Memoirs  of 
General  3Iarhot  which,  amusing  as  a  novel,  are  sub- 
lime as  an  epic  poem,  the  popularity  of  all  publica- 
tions relating  to  the  imperial  ej)Och  is  continually 
increasing.  Unpublished  memoirs  like  those  of  Gen- 
eral Thi^bault,  of  Marshal  Castellane,  of  Planal  de 
la  Faye,  are  printed.  Old  memoirs  are  republished, 
such  as  those  of  General  de  S^gur,  of  Bourrienne,  of 


viii  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Baron  de  M^neval,  and  of  Constant,  tlie  valet  de 
chambre  of  Napoleon  I. ;  and  the  resurrection  of 
these  works  which  seemed  forgotten  produces  per- 
haps a  greater  effect  than  did  their  first  appearance. 

The  Memoirs  of  Constant,  the  reprint  of  which  has 
just  been  very  favorably  received  in  France,  merit, 
we  believe,  the  honor  of  being  translated  and  pub- 
lished in  the  United  States.  No  man  had  a  nearer 
view  of  Napoleon  I. ;  and  no  one  has  given  more 
exact  details  regarding  the  great  man's  character. 
M.  Fr^d^ric  Masson,  in  his  interesting  books,  entitled, 
one.  Napoleon  et  Us  Femmes,  and  the  other,  Napo- 
Uon  cliez  lux:  La  Journee  de  V Empereur  aux  Taileries^ 
and  M.  L^vy  in  his  work.  Napoleon  intime,  have 
borrowed  largely  from  the  Memoirs  of  Constant,  and 
the  modest  but  authentic  account  of  the  Emperor's 
valet  de  chambre  will  never  be  disdained  by  any 
historian. 

Constant  was  born  December  22,  1778,  at  P^ruelz, 
a  city  which  became  French  upon  the  reunion  of 
Belgium  with  France  and  which  was  then  included 
in  the  department  of  Jemmapes.  His  father,  who  had 
been  the  Prince  de  Cro'i's  maitre  d'hotel,  kept  at  the 
baths  of  Saint-Amand,  an  establishment  where  persons 
lodged  who  came  for  the  waters.  The  future  valet 
de  chambre  of  Napoleon  was  brought  up  by  the  liber- 
ality of  the  Count  de  Lure,  head  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  Valenciennes,  who  had  him  given  a  good 
education  on  an  estate  situated  near  Tours.  Toward 
the    end   of   1799  Constant   entered   the   service  of 


PREFACE   TO  ENGLISH  EDITION  ix 

Eugene  de  Beauharnais.  A  month  after  he  was 
attached  to  the  househokl  of  the  wife  of  General 
Bonaparte,  and  one  day  at  the  end  of  March,  1800, 
the  First  Consul  glanced  at  him  durinor  the  dinner 
and,  after  having  examined  and  scrutinized  him  from 
head  to  foot,  said  to  him :  "  Young  man,  should  you 
like  to  follow  me  on  the  campaign  ?  "  Constant  re- 
plied Avith  much  emotion  tliat  he  would  like  noth- 
ing better.  From  the  departure  of  Napoleon  for  the 
campaign  of  Marengo,  whither  he  followed  him,  to 
the  departure  from  Fontainebleau,  where  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  him,  that  is,  during  fourteen  con- 
secutive years,  he  was  only  absent  from  him  on  two 
occasions,  one  of  three  and  the  other  of  seven  or 
eight  days.  Outside  of  these  extremely  brief  fur- 
loughs, the  latter  of  them  rendered  necessary  by  his 
health,  he  was  as  inseparable  from  the  Emperor  as 
his  shadow. 

Constant  was  perfectly  right  in  saying:  "Noth- 
ing that  relates  to  j^reat  men  is  to  be  disdained. 
Posterity  is  eager  to  know  the  smallest  circumstance 
connected  with  their  kind  of  life,  their  characteristic 
traits,  their  tastes,  their  most  trivial  habits.  I  re- 
member," he  adds,  "  that  I  never  had  so  much  pleas- 
ure at  the  theatre  as  the  day  I  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  charming  play,  the  Deux  Pages.  Fleury,  who 
played  the  part  of  Frederick  the  Great,  rendered  the 
slow  walk,  the  abrupt  speech,  the  brusque  move- 
ments, and  even  the  near-sightedness  of  the  monarch 
so  perfectly,  that  from  the  moment  of  his  entrance 


ME3I0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 


the  whole  house  broke  out  into  applause.  ...  I 
feel  some  pride,  I  confess,  at  the  thought  that  these 
Memoirs  may  succeed  in  giving  something  of  the 
pleasure  I  have  endeavored  to  depict  here,  and  that 
in  a  future,  no  doubt  still  distant  but  nevertheless 
certain  to  come  about,  the  artist,  who  wishes  to  make 
the  greatest  man  of  this  time  live  and  move  again 
before  the  public,  Avill  be  compelled,  if  he  desires  to 
be  a  faithful  imitator,  to  form  himself  upon  the  por- 
trait which  better  than  any  one  I  am  able  to  sketch 
from  nature." 

The  resemblance  of  the  portrait  of  the  Emperor 
by  Constant  is,  we  believe,  perfect.  The  valet  de 
chambre  dissembles  neither  the  weaknesses  nor  the 
defects  of  his  master,  but  he  admires  sincerely  the 
genius  of  the  sovereign  and  the  winning  qualities 
of  the  man.  "  It  has  been  maintained,"  says  he, 
"that  no  man  is  a  hero  to  his  valet.  I  beg  to  be 
allowed  to  be  of  a  different  opinion.  However  near 
at  hand  one  was  accustomed  to  see  the  Emperor,  he 
was  always  a  hero,  and  there  was  also  much  to  be 
gained  bj^  seeing  in  him  the  man,  intimately  and 
minutel3^  At  a  distance  one  could  feel  only  the 
prestige  of  his  fame  and  power;  approaching  nearer 
one  enjoyed  still  further,  with  surprise,  all  the  charm 
of  his  conversation,  all  the  simplicity  of  his  family 
life,  and,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  add,  the  habitual  benev- 
olence of  his  character." 

The  Memoirs  of  Constant  contradict  these  lines 
addressed  to  Napoleon  by  Lamartiue  : 


PREFACE   TO  ENGLISH  EDITION  xi 

Tu  grandis  sans  plaisir,  tu  tombas  sans  murmure, 
Rien  d'humain  ne  battait  sons  ton  epaisse  armure, 
Sans  haine  et  sans  amour,  tu  vivais  pour  passer 
Comme  I'aigle  regnant  dans  un  ciel  solitaire, 
Tu  n'avais  qu'un  regard  pour  niesurer  la  terre 
Et  des  serres  pour  I'enibrasser.^ 

Napoleon  was  not  the  impassive  man,  with  heart 
of  bronze,  that  the  poet  of  the  Meditations  repre- 
sents. "  I  can  onl}--  speak,"  says  Constant,  "  of  the 
hero  en  dSshabille,  and  at  that  time  he  was  always 
kind  and  patient,  rarely  unjust.  He  took  a  real  in- 
terest in  you  and  received  with  pleasure  and  good 
nature  the  attentions  of  those  he  liked.  The  hard- 
ness of  the  Emperor  and  his  brutality  towards 
Avoraen  are  part  of  the  thousand  and  one  calumnies 
of  which  he  has  been  the  object.  He  was  not  always 
galant,  but  he  was  never  coarse  ;  he  professed  the 
greatest  veneration  for  a  woman  of  exemplary  con- 
duct, made  much  of  self-respecting  family  circles,  and 
disliked  cjmicism  whether  in  behavior  or  in  lan- 
guage." Let  us  add  that  the  testimony  of  Bour- 
rienne  and  of  the  Baron  de  Mdneval,  who  were  both 
secretaries  of  the  great  man,  agrees  thoroughly  with 
that  of  Constant.  Bourrienne  says:  "Bonaparte  was 
susceptible,  kind,  accessible  to  pity;  he  loved  chil- 
dren greatly,  and  it  is  rare  that  a  bad  man  has  an 

^  You  grew  great  without  pleasure,  you  fell  without  a  murmur  — 
Nothing  human  beat  under  your  thick  armor  —  Without  love  and 
without  hate,  you  lived  only  to  pass  —  Like  the  eagle  reigning 
alone  in  the  heavens  —  You  had  only  a  look  to  measure  the  earth 
with  —  And  talons  with  which  to  seize  it. 


xii  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

inclination  for  children  ;  in  the  daily  routine  of 
private  life  he  was  full  of  good  nature  and  indul- 
gence for  human  weakness."  The  Baron  de  Mene- 
val  thus  expressed  himself :  "  In  the  midst  of  his 
family  Napoleon  appeared  truly  a  father.  There 
was  an  inexpressible  charm  about  this  abnegation 
of  his  grandeur.  I  could  not  get  over  my  surprise  at 
seeing  this  simplicity  of  conduct  in  a  man  who,  from 
a  distance,  seemed  so  imposing.  I  expected  rudenesses 
and  unevenness  of  temper.  Instead  I  found  Napoleon 
patient,  easy  to  live  with,  in  nowise  exacting,  of  a 
gaiety  that  was  not  seldom  boisterous  and  jesting,  and 
sometimes  of  a  winning  good  humor." 

We  may  consider  this  passage  of  Constant's  Me- 
moirs as  their  summing  up :  "  I  must  make  the  avowal 
that  onl}"-  after  having  left  the  Emperor's  service  did 
I  comprehend  all  the  immensity  of  his  greatness. 
Attached  to  his  service  almost  from  the  besfinning 
of  the  Consulate,  at  a  period  when  I  was  still  very 
young,  he  had  grown  great,  so  to  say,  without  my 
perceiving  it,  and  I  had  especially  seen  in  him,  on 
account  of  the  nature  of  my  service,  an  excellent 
master  even  more  than  a  great  man.  But  what 
a  contrary  effect  from  that  which  it  produces  ordi- 
narily did  separation  have  upon  me  !  Even  to-day 
I  often  wonder  at  the  bold  frankness  with  which  I 
have  dared  to  sustain  before  the  Emperor  things 
I  thought  true ;  but  his  kindness  seemed  to  encour- 
age me  to  do  so,  for  very  often,  instead  of  being 
vexed  at  my  vivacities,  he  used  to  say  to  me  gently. 


PREFACE  TO  ENGLISH  EDITION  xiii 

with  a  benevolent  smile,  '  Come,  come,  Monsieur 
Constant,  do  not  get  angiy.'  Adorable  kindness  in 
a  man  of  so  lofty  a  rank !  Well,  I  hardly  perceived 
this,  in  the  interior  of  his  chamber;  but  since  then 
I  have  felt  all  its  worth." 

Napoleon  gains  in  being  studied  from  the  stand- 
point of  intimacy.  The  mask  falls,  the  man  remains, 
and  the  hero  does  not  vanish. 

The  vogue  of  Constant's  INIemoirs  when  they  first 
appeared  in  1830  was  very  great.  At  that  epoch  the 
imperial  epic  exercised  over  the  French  nation  such 
an  ascendency  that  if  the  Duke  de  Reichstadt  had 
been  restored  to  liberty  by  Austria,  everything  indi- 
cates that  the  Soil  of  the  Man,  as  the  heir  of  the  victor 
of  Austerlitz  was  then  called,  would  have  been  pro- 
claimed emperor.  To-day  the  re-establishment  of  the 
Empire  is  no  longer  in  question  in  France,  but  the 
prestige  of  Napoleon  has  never  been  more  striking 
there.  At  Paris  the  Military  Exposition  of  the 
Avenue  des  Champs-Elysdes  has  been  an  enthusiastic 
success.  Like  religion,  glory  has  its  relics.  During 
the  months  of  May  and  June,  1895,  an  enormous 
crowd  visited  with  pious  eagerness  the  historical 
museum  where  so  many  objects  that  belonged  to  the 
Emperor  and  his  companions  in  arms  were  displayed. 
The  organizers  of  this  exhibition  belonged  to  all 
parties.  One  of  them,  a  young  officer  and  a  son  of 
M.  Carnot,  said :  "  I  would  that  the  entire  army 
might  pass  through  these  halls  and  steep  themselves 
here  in  heroism." 


xiv  MEMOIBS   OF  COX  ST  ANT 

The  present  moment  was  well  chosen  for  bringing 
out  anew  memoirs  such  as  those  of  Constant,  not 
only  in  France  but  in  the  United  States.  It  may  be 
said  that  the  two  names  best  known  in  the  great 
American  republic  are  those  of  Washington  and 
Napoleon.  Is  there  in  the  United  States  a  garret  or 
a  hovel  into  which  these  two  names  have  not  pene- 
trated? New  York,  the  Paris  of  the  New  World,  has 
begun  a  movement  of  Napoleonic  literature  which  is 
spreading  in  all  the  cities  of  the  Union,  and  it  will 
not  be  long  before  the  imperial  epic  will  be  as  well 
known  by  Americans  as  by  the  French  themselves. 

In  the  domain  of  thought  a  species  of  electric 
current  has  been  established  between  the  United 
States  and  France.  The  force  that  unites  the  two 
great  sister  republics  is  not  only  a  community  of 
institutions,  it  is  the  possession  of  the  same  taste  for 
the  arts,  for  letters  and  history.  The  finest  pictures 
of  the  modern  French  school  belong  to  Americans. 
The  artists  most  in  vogue  in  France  repair  to  the 
United  States  to  seek  a  fresh  affirmation  of  their 
success.  We  may  say  that  in  all  departments  French 
reputations  renew  their  j^outh,  as  it  were,  in  the 
country  of  AVashington.  One  of  the  causes  of  this 
sympathy  is  the  remembrance,  more  active  than  ever, 
of  the  American  War  of  Independence,  in  which 
the  French  had  a  noble  share.  The  citizens  of  the 
Union  desire  to  understand  all  French  annals  from 
that  epoch  to  our  own  time.  The  military  accounts  of 
the  Revolution  and  the  Empire  interest  them  all  the 


I 


PREFACE  TO  ENGLISH  EDITION  XV 

more  in  that  they  also  have  had  their  battles,  and 
that  they  only  have  to  stamp  on  the  ground  to  cause 
immense  and  magnificent  armies  to  issue  from  it. 
The  combatants  of  the  War  of  Secession,  Northern 
and  Southern  alike,  showed  no  less  heroism  than  the 
French  volunteers  of  1792.  And  after  the  struggle 
the  reconciliation  of  victors  and  vanquished  was 
based  on  a  sentiment  of  mutual  esteem  and  military 
confraternity.  The  resonant  echo  of  the  imperial 
epoch  in  the  United  States  is  wholly  natural.  A 
genius  like  Napoleon  was  certain  to  be  admired  by  a 
nation  which,  after  having  triumphed  in  the  contests 
of  commerce  and  industry,  has  proved  that  when  the 
occasion  arose,  it  could  be  a  great  warlike  nation  as 
well. 

Imbert  de  Saint-Amaio). 


MEMOIRS     OF     CONSTANT 


INTRODUCTION 

T  I  ^HE  life  of  a  man  obliged  to  make  his  own  way, 
and  who  is  neither  a  mechanic  nor  a  tradesman, 
does  not  ordinarily  begin  until  about  his  twentieth 
year.  Until  then  he  vegetates,  uncertain  of  his 
future,  and  neither  having  nor  being  able  to  have 
any  definite  end  in  view.  It  is  only  when  his  powers 
have  attained  their  full  development,  and  his  char- 
acter and  propensities  at  the  same  time  incline  him 
toward  such  or  such  a  part,  that  he  can  decide  upon 
the  choice  of  a  career  and  a  profession ;  it  is  only 
then  that  he  understands  himself  and  sees  his  sur- 
roundings clearly ;  in  fine,  it  is  at  this  age  only  that 
he  begins  to  live. 

Reasoning  in  this  fashion,  my  own  life,  since  I 
attained  my  twentieth  year,  has  comprised  thirty 
years,  which  may  be  divided  into  two  equal  parts  as 
to  months  and  days,  but  which  could  not  differ  more 
widely  if  one  considers  the  events  which  passed  during 
these  two  periods  of  my  existence. 

Attached  during  fifteen  years  to  the  person  of  the 
Emperor  Napoleon,  I  have  seen  all  the  men  and  all 

VOL.  I.  —  B  1 


MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 


the  important  tilings  of  which  he  alone  was  the  rail} 
ing-point  and  centre.  I  have  seen  still  more  thar.^ 
that ;  for  I  have  had  under  my  eyes,  in  every  circum- 
stance of  life,  the  least  as  well  as  the  most  serious, 
the  most  private  as  well  as  those  which  belong  the 
most  to  history  and  already  form  j^art  of  it ;  I  have 
had,  I  say,  incessantly  in  view,  the  man  whose  single 
name  fills  the  most  glorious  pages  in  our  annals. 
Fifteen  years  I  have  attended  him  in  his  journeys 
and  his  campaigns,  at  his  court  and  in  the  privacy 
of  his  family.  Whatever  step  he  might  decide  on, 
whatever  order  he  might  give,  it  was  diflQcult  for 
the  Emperor  not  to  take  me,  even  involuntarily, 
into  his  confidence ;  and  it  was  without  my  own  will 
that  I  more  than  once  found  myself  in  possession  of 
secrets  which  I  would  frequently  have  preferred  not 
to  know.  How  many  things  occurred  during  those 
fifteen  years !  In  the  Emperor's  vicinity  you  lived 
in  the  midst  of  a  whirlwind.  It  was  a  succession  of 
swift,  bewildering  events.  You  were  dazzled,  and 
if  you  tried  to  fix  your  attention  for  an  instant,  an- 
other flood  of  incidents  came  with  a  rush  which 
carried  you  off  your  feet  without  giving  you  leisure 
to  consider  them. 

At  present,  these  times  of  dizzying  activity  have 
been  succeeded,  for  me,  by  the  most  absolute  repose, 
in  the  most  isolated  of  retreats.  And  again  it  is  an 
interval  of  fifteen  years  which  has  elapsed  since  I 
quitted  the  Emperor.  But  what  a  difference  !  What 
is  there  left  to  do,  nowadays,  for  those  who,  like  me, 


MEMOIRS    OF  CONSTANT  3 

tve  lived  amidst  the  conquests  and  marvels  of  tlie 
mpire  ?  If,  in  the  vigor  of  manhood,  our  life  has 
oeen  blended  with  the  movement  of  those  years,  so 
.short  but  so  thoroughly  occupied,  it  seems  to  me 
that  our  career  has  been  long  enough  and  sufficiently 
well  filled.  It  is  time  for  us  to  betake  ourselves  to 
repose.  We  may  well  withdraw  from  the  world  and 
close  our  eyes.  What  is  there  left  for  us  to  see 
which  can  compare  with  what  we  have  already  seen  ? 
Such  spectacles  do  not  occur  twice  in  a  man's  life- 
time. After  having  passed  before  his  eyes,  they 
suffice  to  rciDlenish  his  memory  during  the  rest  of 
the  time  he  has  to  live ;  and  in  his  retirement  he  has 
nothing  better  to  do  than  to  occupy  his  leisure  with 
the  memory  of  what  he  has  beheld. 

And  it  is  this  which  I  have  done.  The  reader 
will  easily  believe  that  I  have  no  more  customary 
pastime  than  to  recur  in  fancy  to  the  years  I  spent 
in  the  Emperor's  service.  As  far  as  possible,  I  have 
kept  myself  acquainted  with  all  that  has  been  writ- 
ten about  my  former  master,  his  family  and  his  court. 
What  long  evenings  have  slipped  by  like  moments 
while  my  wife  and  my  sister-in-law  have  been  read- 
ing these  aloud  to  the  family  I  Whenever  I  encoun- 
tered in  these  books,  some  of  which  are  really  nothing 
but  miserable  rhapsodies,  statements  that  were  inex- 
act, calumnious,  or  false,  I  took  pleasure  in  rectifying 
them,  or  rather  in  proving  their  absurdity.  jNIy  wife, 
who  lived  like  me  and  with  me  in  the  midst  of  these 
events,  also  acquainted  us  with  her  reflections  and 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


explanations ;  and,  witli  no  other  object  but  our 
own  satisfaction,  she  noted  down  our  common 
observations. 

All  who  came  from  time  to  time  to  see  us  in  our 
solitude,  and  who  took  pleasure  in  making  me  talk 
of  what  I  had  seen,  astonished  and  too  often  indig- 
nant at  the  falsehoods  which  ignorance  or  bad  faith 
have  vied  with  each  other  in  retailing  about  the 
Emperor  and  the  Empire,  evinced  to  me  their  satis- 
faction with  the  information  I  was  enabled  to  give 
them,  and  advised  me  to  communicate  it  to  the  public. 
But  I  had  never  dwelt  upon  this  thought  and  was 
very  far  from  imagining  that  I  might  some  day  be 
the  author  of  a  book  myself,  when  M.  Ladvocat 
arrived  at  our  hermitage,  and  urged  me  with  all  his 
might  to  publish  my  Memoirs,  which  he  proposed  to 
bring  out  himself. 

At  the  time  when  I  received  this  visit,  which  I 
was  not  expecting,  we  were  reading  in  the  family 
the  Memoirs  of  M.  de  Bourrienne,  which  had  just 
been  published  by  the  firm  of  Ladvocat,  and  we  had 
more  than  once  remarked  that  these  Memoirs  were 
exempt  from  that  spirit  of  depreciation  or  infatuation 
we  had  met  with  so  frequently,  and  not  Avithout 
disgust,  in  other  books  treating  of  the  same  subject. 
M.  Ladvocat  advised  me  to  complete  the  biography 
of  the  Emperor,  which  M.  de  Bourrienne,  on  account 
of  his  high  position  and  customary  occupations,  had 
been  intent  on  displa^'ing  merely  on  its  political  side. 
After  the  excellent  things  he  had  said  of  this,  it  still 


MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT 


remained  to  me,  according  to  his  publisher,  to  relate 
simply  and  in  a  maimer  suitable  to  my  former  posi- 
tion near  the  Emperor,  that  which  M.  de  Bourrienne 
had  necessarily  been  obliged  to  neglect,  and  which 
no  one  could  know  better  than  I, 

I  willingly  confess  that  I  found  but  little  to  urge 
against  M.  Ladvocat's  arguments,  and  that  he  ended 
by  convincing  me  when  he  made  me  re-read  this  pas- 
sage from  the  introduction  to  M.  de  Bourrienne's 
Memoirs : 

"  If  all  the  persons  who  approached  Napoleon,  no 
matter  at  what  time  or  place,  will  frankly  record  all 
they  saw  and  heard,  without  any  sort  of  preposses- 
sion, the  future  historian  will  have  an  abundance  of 
materials.  I  desire  that  he  who  shall  undertake  this 
difficult  task  may  find  in  my  notes  some  hints  that 
may  be  useful  to  the  perfection  of  his  work." 

And  I,  too,  said  I  to  myself  after  having  re-read 
these  lines  attentively,  I  can  furnish  notes  and  ex- 
planations, point  out  errors,  stigmatize  falsehoods, 
and  make  public  what  I  know  to  be  the  truth ;  in 
a  word,  I  can  and  I  ought  to  bear  my  testimony  in 
the  long  trial  which  has  been  going  on  since  the 
Emperor's  downfall ;  for  I  was  a  ivitness,  I  saw  every- 
thing, and  I  can  say:  I  was  there.  Others  also  have 
seen  tlie  Emperor  and  his  court  at  close  quarters, 
and  it  must  often  happen  to  me  to  repeat  what  they 
have  said  on  the  subject ;  because,  what  they  know, 
I  also  was  in  a  position  to  know.  But  what  I,  in 
my  turn,  know  of  details,  and  what  I  can  relate  of 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


secret  and  unknown  matters,  no  one  else  has  been 
able  to  know,  nor  consequently  to  say  before  me.^ 

From  the  departure  of  the  First  Consul  for  the 
campaign  of  Marengo,  whither  I  attended  him,  until 
the  departure  from  Fontainebleau,  where  I  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  Emperor,  I  was  absent  from  him 
only  twice  ;  the  first  time  for  three  times  twenty-four 
hours  ;  the  second  for  seven  or  eight  days.  Aside 
from  these  brief  holidays,  the  last  of  which  was 
necessary  in  order  to  restore  my  health,  I  quitted  the 
Emperor  no  more  than  his  shadow  did. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  no  man  is  a  hero  to  his 
valet  de  chamhre.  I  ask  permission  to  hold  a  differ- 
ent opinion.  The  Emperor,  no  matter  how  close  at 
hand  he  might  be  seen,  was  always  a  hero,  and  there 
was  much  to  be  gained  by  seeing  the  man  in  him 
also,  near  by  and  in  detail.  From  a  distance  one 
experienced  merely  the  prestige  of  his  glory  and  his 
power ;  on  approaching  him,  one  enjo3-ed  in  addition. 


1  In  support  of  what  I  have  here  advanced,  I  am  happy  to  be  able 
to  cite  the  opinion  expressed  by  M.  de  Bourrienne,  apropos  of  a  sad 
occurrence  which  I  will  relate  in  its  own  place:  "  We  are  assured 
that  it  was  in  the  night  preceding  Marshal  Macdonald's  return 
to  Fontainebleau  that  Napoleon  attempted  to  poison  himself  ;  but 
as  I  have  no  certain  details  concerning  this  attempt,  and  as  I  will 
not  speak  of  what  I  am  not  very  sure,  I  abstain  from  giving,  as 
certain  persons  have  done,  any  conjectures,  always  hazardous,  on 
a  grave  matter  which  was  strongly  repudiated  by  Napoleon  in  his 
conversations  at  Saint-Helena.  The  only  person  who  could  solve 
the  doubts  that  exist  on  the  subject  is  Constant,  who,  I  am  assured, 
never  left  Napoleon  during  that  night."  Memoirs  de  M.  de  Bour- 
rienne, p.  161  t.  X. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


and  with  surprise,  all  the  charm  of  his  conversa- 
tion, all  the  simplicity  of  his  family  life,  and,  I  am 
not  afraid  to  say,  the  habitual  benevolence  of  his 
character. 

The  reader,  curious  to  know  in  advance  the  spirit 
in  which  my  Memoirs  will  be  written,  will  perhaps 
like  to  find  here  an  extract  from  a  letter  I  wrote  to 
my  publisher  on  the  19th  of  January  last : 

"  M.  de  Bourrienne  is  perhaps  justified  in  treating 
the  political  man  with  severity ;  but  that  is  not 
my  own  point  of  view.  I  can  only  speak  of  the 
hero  en  deshahiUS ;  and  then  he  was  nearly  always 
kind,  patient,  and  seldom  unjust.  He  became  much 
attached,  and  received  the  attentions  of  those  whom 
he  liked  with  pleasure  and  good  nature.  He  was  a 
man  of  routine.  I  desire  to  speak  of  the  Emperor 
as  an  attached  servant,  and  in  nowise  as  a  censor. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  do  not  wish  to  make  an  apo- 
theosis in  several  volumes.  With  regard  to  him  I  am 
somewhat  like  those  fathers  who  recognize  defects 
in  their  children,  blame  them  severely,  but  at  the 
same  time  very  readily  find  excuses  for  their  faults." 

I  beg  pardon  for  the  familiarity,  or,  if  you  like, 
the  impropriety  of  this  comparison,  on  behalf  of  the 
sentiment  which  inspired  it.  For  the  rest,  I  propose 
neither  to  praise  nor  to  blame,  but  simply  to  relate 
what  is  within  my  own  cognizance,  without  seeking 
to  bias  the  judgment  of  any  one. 

I  cannot  finish  this  introduction  without  saying  a 
few  words  about  myself,  iu  reply  to  the  calumnies 


8  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

which  have  pursued  even  into  his  retirement  a  man 
who  ought  not  to  have  enemies,  if,  in  order  to  avert 
this  misfortune,  it  were  enough  to  have  done  a  little 
good,  and  never  any  evil.  I  have  been  reproached 
with  having  abandoned  my  master  after  his  downfall, 
with  not  having  shared  his  exile.  I  will  prove  that 
if  I  did  not  folloAV  the  Emperor,  it  was  not  the  will 
to  do  so  which  failed  me,  but  rather  the  possibility. 
God  forbid  that  I  should  here  depreciate  the  loyalty 
of  the  faithful  servants  who  remained  attached  to 
the  last  to  the  Emperor's  fortunes ;  but  perhaps  I 
may  be  permitted  to  say  that,  however  terrible  was 
the  downfall  for  the  Emperor  himself,  the  situation 
(to  speak  here  of  purely  personal  considerations 
only)  was  still  honorable  enough  for  those  who  re- 
mained in  His  Majesty's  service,  and  who  were  not 
detained  in  France  by  an  imperious  necessit}' .  Hence 
it  was  not  personal  interest  which  led  me  to  separate 
myself  from  the  Emj)eror.  I  will  explain  the  motives 
of  this  separation. 

The  truth  will  also  be  made  known  concerning  a 
pretended  abuse  of  confidence  of  which,  according 
to  other  rumors,  I  was  guilty  with  regard  to  the 
Emperor.  The  simple  recital  of  the  misapprehen- 
sion which  gave  rise  to  this  fable  will  sufifice,  I  hope, 
to  clear  me  from  all  suspicion  of  indelicacy.  But 
if  additional  testimonies  are  needed,  1  will  invoke 
those  of  the  personages  who  lived  in  the  greatest 
intimacy  with  the  Emperor,  and  who  were  likewise 
in  a  position  to  know  and  appreciate  what  passed 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


between  him  and  me ;  finally,  I  will  appeal  to  fifty 
years  of  an  irreproachable  life,  and  say : 

"  In  times  when  I  found  myself  so  situated  that  I 
could  render  great  services,  I  rendered  many,  but  I 
never  sold  them.  I  might  have  derived  advantage 
from  the  measures  I  took  for  persons  who,  as  a  result 
of  my  solicitations,  have  acquired  an  immense  fort- 
une ;  and  I  have  refused  even  the  legitimate  profit 
which,  in  their  gratitude,  very  lively  at  that  epoch, 
they  thought  they  ought  to  offer  me  by  proposing 
that  I  should  have  an  interest  in  their  enterprise. 
I  never  tried  to  take  advantage  of  the  benevolence 
with  which  the  Emperor  so  long  deigned  to  honor 
me,  in  order  to  enrich  or  secure  places  for  my  rela- 
tives, and  I  retired  poor,  after  fifteen  years  spent  in 
the  special  service  of  the  richest  and  most  powerful 
sovereign  in  Europe." 

This  said,  I  will  await  with  confidence  the  judg- 
ment of  the  reader. 


CHAPTER  I 

Birth  of  the  author — His  father,  his  relatives —  His  first  protectors 
—  Emigratiou  aud  abandonment  —  A  suspicious  character  twelve 
years  old  —  Municipal  officers  or  imbeciles  —  Major  Michau  — 
M.  Gobert  —  Carrat  —  Madame  Bonaparte  and  her  daughter  — 
Bouquets  and  the  sentimental  scene  —  Carrat's  frugality  to 
others  and  his  generosity  to  himself  —  Poltroonery  —  Frolics  of 
Madame  Bonaparte  and  Hortense  —  The  phantom  —  The  noc- 
turnal douche  —  The  fall  —  The  author  enters  the  service  of  M. 
Eugene  de  Beauharnais. 

T  SHALL  say  very  little  about  myself  in  my 
Memoirs ;  for  I  do  not  blink  the  fact  that  noth- 
ing in  them  can  interest  the  public  but  details  con- 
cerning the  great  man  to  whose  service  my  destiny 
attached  me  during  sixteen  years,  and  whom  I  hardly 
ever  quitted  throughout  that  period.  Still,  I  shall 
ask  permission  to  say  a  few  words  about  my  child- 
hood, and  the  circumstances  which  led  me  to  the 
post  of  valet  de  chambre  to  the  Emperor. 

I  was  born  December  2,  1778,  at  Peruelz,  a  town 
which  became  French  at  the  time  of  the  reunion  of 
Belgium  to  the  Republic,  and  which  then  found  itself 
comprised  in  the  department  of  Jemmapes.  Shortly 
after  my  birth,  my  father  took  a  little  establishment 
called  the  Petit-Chateau,  at  the  baths  of  Saint- 
Amand,  where  persons  lodged  who  came  to  take  the 

10 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  11 

waters.  He  was  assisted  in  this  enterprise  by  Prince 
de  Croi,  in  whose  house  he  had  been  steward.  Our 
affairs  prospered  beyond  my  father's  expectations,  for 
we  received  a  great  number  of  illustrious  invalids. 
When  I  had  just  reached  my  eleventh  year,  Count 
de  Lure,  head  of  one  of  the  first  families  of  Valen- 
ciennes, was  one  of  the  residents  of  the  Petit- 
Chateau  ;  and  as  this  excellent  man  had  taken  a 
great  liking  to  me,  he  asked  iny  parents  to  allow 
him  to  bring  me  up  with  his  sons,  who  were  near 
my  own  age.  At  this  time  it  was  the  intention  of 
my  family  to  educate  me  for  holy  orders,  in  order  to 
please  one  of  my  uncles,  who  was  dean  of  Lessine. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  learning  and  austere  virtue. 
Thinking  that  Count  de  Lure's  proposition  could 
make  no  change  in  his  future  projects,  my  father 
accepted  it,  believing  that  a  few  years  spent  in  so 
distinguished  a  family  would  give  me  a  taste  for 
learning  and  prepare  me  for  the  more  serious  studies 
I  would  have  to  make  in  order  to  embrace  the  eccle- 
siastical career.  I  set  off  therefore  with  Count  de 
Lure,  extremely  sorry  to  leave  my  parents,  but  at 
the  same  time  very  glad,  as  is  usual  at  my  then  age, 
to  see  a  new  place.  Count  de  Lure  took  me  to  one 
of  his  estates  near  Tours,  where  I  was  received 
with  the  most  benevolent  friendship  by  the  Countess 
and  her  children  and  was  treated  on  a  footing  of 
perfect  equality  with  them,  and  given  daily  lessons 
by  their  tutor. 

Alas !  I  unfortunately  did  not  profit  long  enough 


12  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

by  the  kindness  of  the  Count  de  Lure  and  the  lessons 
I  received  in  his  house.  Hardly  a  year  had  elapsed 
since  our  installation  at  the  chateau  when  we  heard 
of  the  King's  arrest  at  Varennes.  The  family  in 
which  I  found  myself  experienced  profound  despair 
on  account  of  it,  and,  child  as  I  was,  I  remember  that 
I  keenly  regretted  this  news,  without  being  able  to 
tell  myself  why,  but  doubtless  because  it  is  natural 
to  share  the  sentiments  of  those  with  whom  we  live, 
when  they  treat  us  as  kindly  as  the  Count  and 
Countess  de  Lure  had  treated  me.  Nevertheless  I 
was  still  in  the  happy  thoughtlessness  of  childhood 
when  I  was  awakened  one  morning  by  a  great  noise. 
Presently  I  found  myself  surrounded  by  a  consider- 
able number  of  strangers,  not  one  of  whom  was 
known  to  me,  and  who  asked  me  a  host  of  questions 
which  it  was  quite  impossible  for  me  to  answer.  I 
learned  then  only  that  the  Count  and  Countess  de 
Lure  had  emigrated.  I  was  taken  to  the  municipal- 
ity, where  the  questions  began  again  in  fine  style, 
but  as  uselessly  as  ever,  seeing  that  I  could  only 
respond  by  the  abundant  tears  I  shed  at  seeing 
myself  abandoned  in  this  fashion,  and  far  away  from 
my  family.  I  was  too  young  then  to  reflect  on  the 
Count's  conduct ;  but  I  have  thought  since  that  my 
abandonment  itself  was  an  act  of  delicacy  on  his 
part,  as  he  was  unwilling  to  make  me  emigrate  with- 
out my  parents'  consent.  I  have  always  had  the 
conviction  that  before  his  departure,  Count  de  Lure 
had  recommended  me  to  some  persons  who  had  not 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  13 

dared  to  claim  me  lest  they  should  compromise  them- 
selves, which,  as  every  one  knows,  was  then  extremely 
dangerous. 

Here  I  was  then,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  without 
guide,  support,  or  shelter,  without  advice  or  money, 
more  than  a  hundred  leagues  from  my  native  place, 
and  already  accustomed  to  the  amenities  of  life  in  a 
good  family.  Who  would  believe  it  ?  In  this  condi- 
tion of  things  I  was  regarded  as  a  suspicious  char- 
acter, and  the  authorities  of  the  place  required  me 
to  present  myself  monthly  to  the  municipality  for 
the  greater  security  of  the  Republic.  I  remember 
perfectly,  moreover,  that  whenever  it  pleased  the 
Emperor  to  have  me  relate  these  tribulations  of  my 
childhood,  he  never  failed  to  repeat  several  times : 
The  imbeciles!  in  speaking  of  my  worthy  municipal 
officers.  However,  the  authorities  of  Tours,  conclud- 
ing at  last  that  a  twelve-year-old  child  was  in- 
capable of  overthrowing  the  Republic,  gave  me  a 
passport  with  the  express  injunction  to  leave  the 
city  within  twenty-four  hours ;  which  I  did  very 
willingly,  yet  not  without  a  profound  uneasiness  at 
finding  myself  afoot  and  alone  on  the  road  and  with 
a  long  journey  to  make.  By  dint  of  many  priva- 
tions and  much  trouble,  I  finally  arrived  in  the 
vicinity  of  Saint-Amand,  which  I  found  in  the  hands 
of  the  Austrians.  The  French  surrounded  the 
town,  but  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  enter  it.  In 
despair,  I  sat  down  on  the  side  of  a  ditch  and  Avas 
weeping  bitterly  there  when  I  was  noticed  by  Major 


14  ITEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Michau,^  who  afterwards  became  colonel  and  aide- 
de-camp  to  General  Loison.  Major  Michaii  came  up 
and  questioned  me  with  much  interest.  He  made  me 
tell  him  all  my  sad  adventures  and  seemed  touched 
by  them,  but  showed  me  how  impossible  it  was  for 
him  to  have  me  taken  to  my  family.  Having  just 
received  a  furlough,  which  he  was  going  to  spend 
with  his  own  family  at  Chinon,  he  proposed  that  I 
should  accompany  him  thither,  and  I  accepted  wit 
lively  gratitude.  I  could  never  express  the  kindne 
and  care  shown  me  by  the  family  of  M.  Micha 
during  the  three  or  four  months  I  spent  amon^ 
them ;  at  the  end  of  that  time,  M.  Michau  took  me 
to  Paris  with  him,  where  I  soon  found  a  place  in  the 
house  of  one  M.  Gobert,  a  rich  merchant,  who  treated 
me  with  the  greatest  kindness  all  the  time  that  I 
remained  there. 

I  saw  M.  Gobert  recently,  and  he  reminded  me, 
that,  when  we  travelled  together,  he  was  careful  to 
leave  one  of  the  seats  in  his  carriage  at  my  disposal, 
on  which  I  lay  down  to  sleep.  I  mention  this  cir- 
cumstance with  pleasure,  since,  although  otherwise 
of  small  consequence,  it  shows  M.  Gobert's  kindness 
toward  me. 

Some  years  afterward,  I  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Carrat,  who  was  in  Madame  Bonaparte's  service 
while  the  General  was  still  on  his  Egyptian  expedi- 

I I  was  afterwards  so  happy  as  to  obtain  for  him,  from  the 
Emperor,  a  place  ho  desired  on  his  retirement,  after  losing  the  use 
of  his  right  arm. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  15 

tion.  But  before  saying  how  I  came  to  enter  the 
establishment,  I  think  it  will  be  apropos  to  begin  by 
relating  liow  Carrat  himself  became  one  of  Madame 
Bonaparte's  dependents,  and  at  the  same  time  some 
anecdotes  concerning  him  which  are  calculated  to 
throw  light  on  the  earlier  diversions  of  the  residents 
of  Malmaison. 

Carrat  was  at  Plombieres  when  INIadame  Bonaparte 
"ent  there  to  take  the  waters.  He  carried  bouquets 
:  her  every  day,  and  paid  her  little  compliments 
>  odd  and  even  droll,  that  Josephine  was  much 
iverted;  so  were  the  ladies  who  accompanied  her, 
among  whom  were  Mesdames  de  Cambis  and  de 
Crigny,!  and  especially  her  daughter  Hortense,  who 
was  in  fits  of  laughter  at  these  pleasantries.  The 
fact  is  that  he  was  extremely  amusing  on  account  of 
a  certain  foolishness  and  a  sort  of  originality  which 
did  not  prevent  his  being  witty.  His  drolleries 
having  pleased  Madame  Bonaparte,  he  completed 
them  by  a  sentimental  scene  at  the  time  when  that 
excellent  woman  was  about  leaving-  the  waterinp-- 
place.  Carrat  wept,  expressed  as  well  as  he  knew 
how  the  keen  regret  he  would  feel  at  not  seeing 
Madame  Bonaparte  dailj^,  as  he  had  contracted  a 
habit  of  doing,  and  Madame  Bonaparte  was  so  good- 
natured  that  she  did  not  hesitate  to  carry  him  back 
witli  her  to  Paris.  She  had  him  taught  the  trade, 
and  then  attached  him  to  her  service  in  the  capacity 

1  Madame  de  Crigny  was  afterwards  Madame  Denon. 


16  3IEM0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 

of  hair-dresser  and  lackey.  Such,  at  least,  were  the 
functions  he  fulfilled  when  I  made  Carrat's  acquaint- 
ance. He  used  an  extraordinary  freedom  of  speech 
with  her,  so  much  so  that  at  times  he  even  scolded 
her.  When  Madame  Bonaparte,  who  was  extremely 
generous  and  always  good-natured  to  everybody, 
made  presents  to  her  women  or  chatted  with  them 
familiarly,  Carrat  reproached  her  on  account  of  it: 
"  Why  do  you  give  that  ?  "  he  would  say,  and  then 
add :  "  That  is  the  way  you  are,  Madame,  you  begin 
joking  with  your  domestics  !  very  well,  some  fine  day 
they  will  fail  to  respect  you."  But  if  he  tried  to  put 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  his  mistress's  generosity  when 
it  extended  to  others,  he  was  at  no  pains  to  restrain 
it  where  he  was  concerned  himself,  and  when  any- 
thing took  his  fancy  he  would  say  bluntly :  "  Don't 
you  want  to  give  me  that  ?  " 

Bravery  is  not  always  the  inseparable  companion 
of  wit,  as  Carrat  proved  more  than  once.  He  was 
endowed  with  one  of  those  artless  and  insurmountable 
dispositions  to  poltroonery  which  in  comedies  never 
fail  to  excite  the  laughter  of  the  spectators,  and  it 
was  a  great  amusement  for  Madame  Bonaparte  also 
to  play  tricks  on  him  which  displayed  his  singular 
caution. 

The  reader  must  know,  in  the  first  place,  that 
one  of  Madame  Bonaparte's  greatest  pleasures  at 
Malmaison  was  to  walk  on  the  high  road  bordering 
the  walls  of  the  park.  She  always  preferred  this 
promenade,  where  there  were  almost  continual  clouds 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  17 

of  cUist,  to  tlie  delightful  alleys  inside  the  park.  One 
day,  being  accompanied  by  her  daughter  Hortense, 
Madame  Bonaparte  told  Carrat  to  follow  them  in 
their  walk.  He  was  in  a  state  of  great  rapture  at 
this  distinction,  when  suddenly  there  arose  from  one 
of  the  ditches  a  large  figure  draped  in  a  white  sheet, 
in  a  word,  a  real  spectre,  such  as  I  have  seen 
described  in  translations  of  some  old  English  ro- 
mances. It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  phantom  wds 
simply  a  person  expressly  placed  there  by  these  ladies 
to  frighten  Carrat,  and  the  comedy  certainly  had  a 
marvellous  success.  Carrat,  in  fact,  no  sooner 
caught  sight  of  the  spectre  tlian  he  came  up  to 
Madame  Bonaparte  in  alarm,  and  said  to  her,  all  in 
a  tremble :  "  Madame,  Madame,  look  at  that  phan- 
tom !  .  .  .  'tis  the  ghost  of  that  lady  who  died  lately 
at  Plombieres  !  "  "  Keep  quiet,  Carrat,  you  are  a 
poltroon  ! "  —  "  Ah  !  it  is  certainly  her  ghost  that  is 
coming  back  !  "  As  Carrat  was  talking  in  this  way, 
the  man  in  the  white  sheet,  carrying  out  his  part, 
came  toward  him,  shaking  his  long  veil,  and  poor 
Carrat,  seized  with  terror,  fell  over  backward  and 
became  so  ill  that  every  effort  Avas  required  to 
restore  him  to  consciousness. 

Another  day,  while  the  General  was  still  in  Egypt, 
and  hence  before  I  became  a  member  of  her  household, 
]\Iadame  Bonaparte  wished  to  give  one  of  her  ladies 
a  notion  of  Carrat's  fear.  A  general  plot  was  got 
up  between  the  ladies  of  Malmaison,  in  which 
Mademoiselle  Hortense  played  the  part  of  chief  con- 

VOL.   I.  — C 


18  MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT 

spirator.  I  have  heard  the  story  told  so  often  by 
Madame  Bonaparte  that  I  can  give  some  rather 
comical  details  about  it.  Carrat  slept  in  a  room 
adjoining  a  small  cabinet.  A  hole  was  pierced  in 
the  partition  between  them,  through  which  a  string 
was  passed,  at  the  end  of  which  was  hung  a  jug  full 
of  water.  This  cooling  vase  was  suspended  exactly 
over  the  head  of  the  patient.  Nor  was  this  all ;  for 
they  had  taken  the  precaution  of  having  the  screws 
removed  which  kept  Carrat's  folding  bed  in  place, 
and  as  the  latter  was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  bed 
without  a  light,  he  saw  neither  the  preparations  for 
his  premeditated  fall,  nor  the  vase  containing  the 
water  destined  for  his  novel  baptism.  All  the  con- 
spirators had  been  waiting  for  some  minutes  in  the 
cabinet  when  he  threw  himself,  heavily  enough,  on 
his  bed,  which  instantly  sank  under  him,  the  watering- 
pot,  meanwhile,  responding  to  a  jerk  on  the  string, 
and  producing  the  elTect  intended.  Simultaneously 
the  victim  of  a  fall  and  a  nocturnal  inundation,  Car- 
rat  protested  loudly  against  this  combined  attack ! 
"  This  is  horrible !  "  he  shouted  with  all  his  might, 
the  malicious  Hortense,  meanwhile,  in  order  to  in- 
crease his  tribulations,  saying  to  her  mother,  to 
Madame  de  Crigny,  Madame  de  Charvet,  and 
several  other  ladies  of  tlie  household :  "  Ah ! 
mamma,  the  frogs  and  toads  that  are  in  tlie  water 
have  just  fallen  on  his  face."  These  words,  added 
to  the  profound  darkness,  merely  served  to  augment 
Carrat's   terror,   and   becoming   seriously  angry,  he 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  19 

cried  out:  "It  is  a  horrible  thing,  Madame,  it  is  an 
atrocity  to  phiy  such  tricks  on  your  domestics."  I 
would  not  venture  to  asseverate  that  Carrat's  com- 
plaints were  entirely  out  of  place,  but  they  merely 
served  to  excite  the  gaiety  of  the  ladies,  who  had 
taken  him  for  the  butt  of  their  pleasantries. 

However  that  may  be,  such  were  the  cliaracter  and 
the  position  of  Carrat  when,  after  I  had  been  some 
time  acquainted  with  him,  and  General  Bonaparte  had 
returned  from  his  Egyptian  expedition,  he  told  me 
that  M.  Eugene  de  Beauharnais  had  applied  to  him 
for  a  confidential  valet,  his  own  having  been  detained 
at  Cairo  by  a  rather  serious  malady  at  the  moment 
of  departure.  This  man  was  called  Lefebvre,  and 
was  an  old  servant  entirely  devoted  to  his  master,  as 
all  persons  must  have  been  who  were  acquainted  with 
Prince  Eugene ;  for  I  do  not  believe  there  ever  ex- 
isted a  better  man,  more  polite,  more  full  of  consid- 
eration and  even  attentions  for  the  persons  in  his 
service.  Carrat  having  told  me  therefore  that  M. 
Eugene  de  Beauharnais  wanted  a  young  man  to 
replace  Lefebvre,  and  proposed  that  I  should  take 
his  position,  I  had  the  happiness  of  being  presented 
to  and  suiting  him.  He  was  even  kind  enough  to 
say  to  me,  on  the  very  first  day,  that  my  phj^siognomy 
pleased  him  greatly,  and  that  he  would  like  me  to 
come  to  him  at  once.  On  my  part,  I  was  enchanted 
with  this  situation,  which,  I  don't  know  why,  pre- 
sented itself  to  my  imagination  under  the  gayest 
colors.     I   went   without   loss   of   time   to   find   my 


20  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

modest  luggage,  and  there  I  was,  valet  de  cliam- 
bre  ad  interim  of  M.  de  Beauharnais,  never  think- 
ing that  I  would  one  day  be  admitted  to  the  spe- 
cial service  of  General  Bonaparte,  and  still  less  that 
I  would  become  the  chief  valet  de  chambre  of  an 
emperor. 


CHAPTER  II 

Prince  Eugfene  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  —  Bonaparte  and  the 
sword  of  Marqnis  de  Beauharnais  —  First  interview  between 
Napoleon  and  Josephine  —  Appearance  and  qualities  of  Eugene 

—  Frankness  —  Kindness  —  Love  of  pleasure  —  Breakfasts  of 
young  officers  and  artists  —  Hoaxes  and  hoaxed  —  Thie5met 
and  Dugazon  —  The  stutterers  and  the  cold  douche  —  The 
old  valet  reinstated  —  Constant  passes  into  the  service  of 
Madame  Bonaparte  —  Attractions  of  his  new  situation  —  Sou- 
venirs of  the  18th  Brumaire  —  Political  breakfasts  —  The  direc- 
tors in  caricature  —  Barras  in  the  Greek  style — Abb6  Siey^s 
on  horseback  —  The  rendezvous  —  Murat's  mistake  —  President 
Gohier,  General  Jub^,  and  the  great  manoeuvre — General  Mar- 
mont  and  the  riding-school  horses  —  Malmaisou  —  Josephine's 
salon  —  M.  de  Talleyrand  —  General  Bonaparte's  family  —  M. 
Volney  —  M.  Denon  —  M.  Lemercier  —  M.  de  Laigle  —  General 
Beurnonville  —  Excursion  on  horseback  —  Hortense's  fall  — 
Happy  married  life  —  Prisoner's  base  —  Bonaparte  a  bad  runner 

—  Net  income  of  JIalmaison  —  Embellishments  —  Theatres  and 
society  actors:  MM.  Eugfene,  Jerome,  Bourrienne,  Lauriston, 
etc.;  Mademoiselle  Horteuse,  Madame  Murat,  the  two  Demoi- 
selles Augui6  —  Napoleon  a  simple  spectator. 

TT  was  the  16th  of  October,  1799,  when  Eugene 
de  Beauharnais  arrived  in  Paris  on  his  return 
from  the  Egyptian  expedition,  and  it  was  immediately 
after  his  arrival  that  I  had  the  happiness  of  entering 
his  service.  M.  Eugene  was  then  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  and  I  will  not  defer  the  recital  of  some  details 
that  I  believe  to  be  little  known  concerning  his  life 
before  his  mother's  marriage  with  General  Bonaparte. 

21 


22  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

The  reader  is  aware  that  his  father  was  one  of  the 
victims  of  the  Revolution.  After  the  Marquis  de 
Beauharnais  perished  on  the  scaffold,  his  widow, 
whose  property  had  been  confiscated,  finding  herself 
reduced  to  a  condition  bordering  on  poverty,  and 
fearing  lest  her  son,  although  still  very  young,  might 
also  be  prosecuted  on  account  of  his  noble  birth, 
placed  him  in  a  carpenter's  shop  on  the  rue  de 
I'Echelle.  A  lady  of  my  acquaintance,  who  lived 
on  that  street,  has  often  seen  him  pass  by  carrying 
a  board  on  his  shoulder.  It  was  a  good  ways  from 
there  to  the  command  of  the  regiment  of  consular 
guides,  and  above  all  to  the  vice-royalty  of  Italy. 
I  learned,  by  hearing  Eugene  himself  relate  it,  the 
singular  circumstance  by  which  he  occasioned  the 
first  interview  of  his  mother  with  his  stepfather. 

Eugene,  being  at  the  time  only  fourteen  or  fifteen 
years  old,  having  been  informed  that  General  Bona- 
parte had  become  possessor  of  the  sword  of  the 
Marquis  de  Beauharnais,  ventured  to  call  on  him, 
a  proceeding  that  obtained  complete  success.  The 
General  received  him  graciously,  and  Eugene  said 
he  came  to  ask  whether  he  would  not  be  so  kind 
as  to  return  to  him  his  father's  sword.  His  face, 
his  manner,  his  frank  request,  were  all  pleasing 
to  Bonaparte,  who  instantly  restored  the  sword  lie 
asked  for.  Hardly  had  he  taken  it  in  his  hands 
than  he  covered  it  with  tears  and  kisses,  and 
that  with  so  natural  an  air  that  Bonaparte  was 
enchanted.     On  learning   how  the    General   had  re- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  23 

ceived  her  son,  Madame  de  Beauharnais  thought 
it  her  duty  to  call  and  thank  him.  Josephine  having 
greatly  pleased  Bonaparte  at  this  first  interview,  he 
returned  her  visit.  They  frequently  saw  each  other, 
and  everybody  knows  how,  by  one  thing  after 
another,  she  became  the  first  Empress  of  the  French  ; 
and  I  can  affirm,  in  conformity  with  many  proofs 
which  I  afterwards  obtained  of  the  fact,  that  Bona- 
parte never  ceased  to  love  Eugene  as  much  as  he 
could  have  loved  his  own  son. 

Eugene's  qualities  were  both  amiable  and  solid. 
His  features  were  not  handsome,  and  yet  his  counte- 
nance prepossessed  one  in  his  favor.  His  figure  was 
well-shaped,  and  yet  his  appearance  was  not  distin- 
guished, on  account  of  a  habit  of  slouching  in  his 
gait.  He  was  about  five  feet  and  three  or  four 
inches  tall.  He  was  kind,  gay,  amiable,  full  of 
spirit,  lively,  and  generous ;  and  one  may  say  that 
his  open,  candid  physiognomy  was  truly  the  mirror 
of  his  soul.  How  many  services  did  he  not  render 
during  the  course  of  his  life,  and  that,  too,  at  the 
period  when  he  was  obliged  to  impose  privations  on 
himself  in  order  to  do  so  ! 

We  shall  see  presently  why  I  passed  only  one 
month  with  Eugene ;  but  I  remember  that  during 
this  brief  period,  while  scrupulously  fulfilling  his 
duties  toward  his  mother  and  his  stepfather,  he 
was  very  much  addicted  to  the  pleasures  so  natural 
to  his  age  and  in  his  position.  One  of  the  things 
which  pleased  him  most  was  to  give  breakfasts  to  his 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

friends ;  hence  he  gave  them  very  often  ;  and  that, 
for  my  part,  amused  me  greatly,  on  account  of  the 
comical  scenes  of  which  I  was  a  spectator.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  young  military  men  belonging  to  Bona- 
parte's staff,  who  were  his  most  punctual  guests,  he 
had  among  other  habitual  visitors  Thiemet,  the  ven- 
triloquist, Dazincourt  and  Michau  of  the  Theatre 
Frangais,  and  several  other  persons  whose  names 
just  now  escape  me.  As  may  be  easily  believed, 
these  reunions  were  extremely  gay ;  the  3'oung  officers 
especially,  who  had  returned  like  Eugene  from  Egypt, 
sought  for  nothing  but  how  to  compensate  them- 
selves for  the  recent  privations  they  had  had  to  endure. 
At  this  epoch  hoaxes  were  all  the  fashion  in  Paris ; 
their  practitioners  were  brought  to  reunions,  and 
Thiemet  held  a  very  distinguished  rank  among  them. 
I  recollect  that  one  day  at  a  breakfast  of  Eugene's, 
Thiemet  called  several  of  those  present  by  their 
names,  by  imitating  the  voices  of  their  servants,  as 
if  these  voices  came  from  outside ;  while  he  remained 
quietly  in  his  place,  and  seemed  never  to  move  his 
lips  except  for  tlie  purpose  of  eating  and  drinking, 
two  functions  which  he  fulfilled  very  well.  Each  of 
the  officers  called  in  this  way,  went  downstairs  and 
found  nobody.  Then  Thiemet,  assuming  a  feigned 
politeness,  went  down  with  them  under  pretence  of 
assisting  in  their  search,  and  prolonged  their  embar- 
rassment by  making  them  continue  to  hear  voices 
they  knew.  Most  of  them  laughed  heartily  at  a 
pleasantry   of   which    they   were    the    victims ;    but 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  25 

there  "was  one  who,  being  rather  duller  than  his 
comrades,  took  the  thing  seriously  and  was  going  to 
be  angry,  when  Eugene  avowed  that  he  had  headed 
the  conspiracy. 

I  recall  another  amusing  scene  the  two  heroes  of 
which  were  this  same  Thidmet  of  whom  I  have  just 
spoken,  and  Dugazon.  Several  foreigners  were  as- 
sembled in  Eugene's  apartment,  the  roles  were  dis- 
tributed and  learned  in  advance,  and  the  two  victims 
designated.  When  they  were  all  seated  at  table, 
Dugazon,  pretending  to  be  a  stutterer,  addressed 
some  remark  to  Thidmet,  who,  having  a  similar  role, 
replied  by  stuttering  also.  Then  each  of  the  two 
pretended  to  believe  that  the  other  was  mocking  at 
him,  and  there  ensued  a  quarrel  of  stutterers  who,  the 
angrier  they  grew,  the  harder  they  found  it  to  express 
themselves.  Thi(5met,  who  besides  playing  the  stut- 
terer had  also  assumed  the  character  of  a  deaf 
man,  turned  to  his  neighbor,  his  ear-trumpet  at  his 
ear,  and  asked:  "Wh-wh-what  i-i-is  he  s-s-saying?" 
"Nothing,"  responded  the  officious  neighbor,  who 
wanted  to  prevent  a  quarrel  and  take  his  stutterer's 
side.  "  Y-y-3'es  he  i-i-s  m-m-mock-mock-ing  at  me." 
Then  the  quarrel  grew  more  lively;  they  were 
about  to  come  to  blows,  and  each  of  the  two  stutterers 
had  seized  a  carafe  to  throw  at  liis  antagonist's  head, 
when  a  copious  immersion  from  the  water  contained 
in  the  carafes  made  their  officious  neiglibors  compre- 
hend the  danger  of  attempts  at  conciliation.  The 
two  stutterers,  however,  continued  shouting  like  deaf 


26  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

men  until  the  last  drop  of  water  was  spilled ;  and  I 
remember  that  Eugene,  who  was  the  author  of  this 
plot,  was  in  fits  of  laughter  all  the  time  it  lasted. 
People  dried  themselves,  and  all  was  presently 
arranged,  glasses  in  hand.  Eugene,  whenever  he  got 
up  a  joke  of  this  kind,  never  failed  to  relate  it  to  his 
mother,  and  sometimes  even  to  his  stepfather,  who 
were  greatly  amused  by  it,  Josephine  especially. 

I  had  been  leading  a  rather  joyous  life  for  a  month 
with  Eugene,  when  Lefebvre,  the  valet  whom  he  had 
left  ill  at  Cairo,  came  back  cured,  and  asked  to  have 
his  place  again.  Eugene,  whom  I  suited  better,  on 
account  of  my  youth  and  activity,  proposed  that  he 
should  enter  his  mother's  household,  calling  his 
attention  to  the  fact  that  he  would  be  much  more 
tranquil  there.  But  Lefebvre,  who  was  extremely 
attached  to  his  master,  went  to  find  Madame  Bona- 
parte and  displayed  all  his  chagrin  at  Eugene's 
resolution.  Josephine  promised  to  take  his  part; 
she  consoled  him,  assured  him  that  she  would  talk 
to  her  son,  said  she  would  see  that  he  returned  to 
his  former  post,  and  that  it  would  be  I  that  she 
would  take  into  her  service.  Josephine  did,  in  fact, 
speak  to  her  son,  as  she  had  promised  Lefebvre  to  do ; 
and,  one  morning,  Eugene  announced  to  me,  in  the 
kindest  terms,  my  change  of  domicile.  "  Constant," 
said  he,  "  I  am  very  sorry  for  the  circumstance  which 
obliges  us  to  part ;  but,  as  you  know,  Lefebvre  fol- 
lowed me  to  Egypt;  he  is  an  old  servant;  I  cannot 
avoid  taking  him  back.     Moreover,  you  are  not  going 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  27 

to  become  a  stranger  to  me ;  you  are  going  to  my 
mother's  house,  where  you  will  be  very  well  off;  and 
there  we  shall  often  see  each  other.  Go  there  from 
me,  this  very  morning ;  I  have  sjjoken  to  her  about 
you ;  it  is  an  understood  thing ;  she  expects  you." 

As  may  be  believed,  I  lost  no  time  in  presenting 
myself  at  Madame  Bonaparte's  house.  Knowing 
that  she  was  at  Malmaison,  I  went  there  at  once,  and 
was  received  by  Madame  Bonaparte  with  a  kindness 
that  filled  me  with  gratitude,  not  knowing  that  she 
showed  this  kindness  to  everybody,  and  that  it  was 
as  inseparable  from  her  character  as  grace  was  from 
her  person.  I  had  very  little  to  do ;  my  time  was 
almost  entirely  at  my  own  disposal,  and  I  profited  by 
it  to  make  frequent  excursions  to  Paris.  Hence  the 
life  I  led  was  very  pleasant  for  a  young  man,  who 
could  not  yet  suspect  that,  some  time  afterwards,  it 
would  become  as  constrained  as  it  was  then  free. 

Before  quitting  a  service  which  I  had  found  so 
agreeable,  I  will  relate  some  facts  belonging  to  that 
period  which  my  position  near  the  stepson  of  Gen- 
eral Bonaparte  allowed  me  to  become  acquainted 
with. 

M.  de  Bourrienne  has  perfectly  recounted  the 
events  of  the  18th  Brumaire  in  his  Memoirs.  The 
account  he  has  given  of  that  famous  day  is  as  exact 
as  it  is  interesting,  and  all  who  are  curious  to  know 
the  secret  causes  which  bring  about  political  changes 
will  find  them  faithfully  exposed  in  the  narrative 
of  the  Minister  of  State.     I  am  very  far  from  pre- 


28  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

tending  to  excite  an  interest  of  this  nature ;  but  the 
reading  of  M.  de  Bourrienne's  work  has  set  me  also 
on  the  track  of  my  souvenirs.  Tliere  are  circum- 
stances he  may  not  have  known,  or  may  even  have 
omitted  voluntarily  as  being  of  small  importance ; 
and  what  he  has  let  fall  upon  the  road  I  esteem 
myself  fortunate  to  be  able  to  gather  up. 

I  was  still  with  M.  Eugene  de  Beauharnais  when 
General  Bonaparte  overthrew  the  Director}^ ;  but  I 
was  just  as  much  in  the  way  of  learning  all  that 
passed  as  if  I  had  been  in  the  service  of  Madame 
Bonaparte  or  of  the  General  himself ;  for  my  master, 
although  very  young,  had  the  full  confidence  of  his 
stepfather,  and  above  all  that  of  his  mother,  who 
consulted  him  on  every  occasion. 

Several  days  before  the  18th  Brumaire,  M.  Eugene 
ordered  me  to  busy  myself  with  the  preparations  for 
a  breakfast  he  was  to  give  on  that  very  day  to  his 
friends.  The  number  of  the  guests,  who  were  all 
military  men,  was  much  larger  than  usual.  The 
repast  was  made  very  lively  by  an  officer  who  under- 
took to  caricature  the  manners  and  deportment  of 
the  directors  and  some  of  their  trusty  adherents. 
To  personate  Director  Barras,  he  draped  himself  a  la 
grecque  with  the  tablecloth,  took  off  his  black  cravat, 
turned  down  his  shirt  collar,  and  advanced  with 
many  airs  and  graces,  resting  his  left  arm  on  the 
shoulder  of  the  youngest  of  his  comrades  and  pre- 
tending to  chuck  him  under  the  chin  with  his  right 
hand.     There  was  not  a  soul  present  who  did  not 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  29 

comprehend  the  meaning  of  this  sort  of  charade,  and 
it  was  greeted  with  shouts  of  laughter  that  seemed 
as  if  they  would  never  end. 

Afterwards  he  personated  the  Abb^  Siey^s,  by 
passing  an  enormous  labbi  ^  of  paper  through  his 
necktie,  elongating  indefinitely  a  pallid  visage,  and 
then  prancing  several  times  around  the  room  astride 
on  his  chair,  ending  at  last  in  a  grand  somersault,  as 
if  his  horse  had  thrown  him.  To  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  this  pantomime,  it  must  be  known  that 
the  Abbd  Sieyes  had  been  taking  riding  lessons  for 
some  time  in  the  Luxembourg  garden,  to  the  great 
amusement  of  the  promenaders,  who  assembled  in 
crowds  to  enjoy  the  stiff  and  awkward  appearance 
of  the  new  horseman. 

When  breakfast  was  over,  M.  Eugene  repaired  to 
General  Bonaparte,  whose  aide-de-camp  he  was,  and 
his  friends  rejoined  their  several  corps.  I  followed 
them  out;  for  certain  remarks  that  had  just  been 
made  in  the  rooms  of  my  young  master  made  me 
suspect  that  something  serious  and  interesting  was 
about  to  happen.  M.  Eugene  had  agreed  to  meet 
his  comrades  at  the  Pont-Tournant ;  I  went  there, 
and  found  a  considerable  assemblage  of  mounted 
officers  in  uniform,  all  in  readiness  to  follow  General 
Bonaparte  to  Saint-Cloud. 

1  Tlie  name  given  to  the  bands  worn  by  priests  as  a  part  of  their 
ordinary  costume.  They  go  around  tlie  neck  and  over  tlie  breast, 
descending  to  different  lengths  at  the  wearer's  pleasure. —  Transla- 
tor''s  note. 


30  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

The  commanders  of  all  arms  liad  been  requested 
by  General  Bonaparte  to  give  breakfasts  to  their 
official  corps,  and  they  had  done  the  same  thing  as  my 
young  master.  And  yet  not  all  the  officers,  not  even 
the  generals,  were  in  the  secret ;  and  General  jMurat 
himself,  who  rushed  into  the  hall  of  the  Cinq-Cents, 
at  the  head  of  his  grenadiers,  thought  the  only  matter 
in  dispute  was  a  dispensation  as  to  age  which  General 
Bonaparte  was  about  to  ask,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
place  as  Director. 

I  have  learned,  from  a  sure  source,  that  at  the 
moment  when  General  Jub^,  who  was  devoted  to 
General  Bonaparte,  was  assembling  in  the  court  of 
the  Luxembourg  the  Directory's  guard,  of  which  he 
was  the  commander,  the  worthy  M.  Gohier,  presi- 
dent of  the  Directory,  put  his  head  out  of  the  window 
and  shouted  to  Jub<5 :  "  Citizen-general,  what  are 
you  doing  there?" — "Citizen-president,  you  see 
well  enough  what  I  am  doing ;  I  am  assembling  the 
guard."  —  "  No  doubt  I  see  that  very  well,  Citizen- 
general  ;  but  what  are  you  assembling  them  for  ? " 
"  Citizen-president,  I  am  going  to  make  an  inspec- 
tion of  them,  and  to  command  a  great  manoeuvre. 
Forward,  march !  "  And  the  Citizen-general  started 
at  the  head  of  his  troops  to  go  and  rejoin  General 
Bonaparte  at  Saint-Cloud,  while  the  latter  was  ex- 
pected at  the  house  of  the  Citizen-president,  who 
waited  for  him  in  vain  at  the  breakfast  to  which  he 
had  invited  him. 

General  Marmont  also  had  breakfasted  the  officers 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  31 

of  the  arm  he  commanded  (1  think  it  was  tlie  artil- 
lery). At  tlie  end  of  the  repast  he  had  made  a  few 
remarks,  persuading  them  not  to  separate  their  cause 
from  that  of  the  conqueror  of  Italy,  and  to  accom- 
pany him  to  Saint-Cloud.  "But  how  do  you  want 
us  to  follow  him?"  exclaimed  one  of  the  guests; 
"we  have  no  horses.*'  "If  that  is  all  that  hinders 
you,"  said  the  General,  "you  will  find  some  in  the 
court  of  this  hotel.  I  have  kept  all  those  of  the 
national  riding-school.  Let  us  go  down  and  mount." 
All  the  officers  present  accepted  this  invitation,  ex- 
cepting General  Allix,  who  declared  that  he  would 
not  be  mixed  up  in  any  squabble. 

I  was  at  Saint-Cloud  on  the  18th  and  19th  Bru- 
maire.  I  saw  General  Bonaparte  harangue  the  sol- 
diers and  read  them  the  decree  appointing  him  com- 
mander-in-chief of  all  the  troops  in  Paris  and  through- 
out the  whole  extent  of  the  seventeenth  military 
division.  I  saw  him  in  the  first  place  come  out 
very  much  agitated  from  the  council  of  the  Anciens, 
and  afterwards  from  the  assembly  of  the  Cinq-Cents. 
I  saw  M.  Lucien  led  out  of  the  hall  where  this 
assembly  was  sitting  by  some  grenadiers  sent  to  pro- 
tect him  from  the  violence  of  his  colleagues.  Pale 
and  furious,  he  sprang  upon  a  horse  and  galloped 
straight  to  the  troops  to  harangue  them.  At  the 
moment  when  he  turned  his  sword  toward  the  breast 
of  the  General  his  brother,  saying  that  he  would  be 
the  first  to  immolate  him  if  he  dared  to  make  an 
assault  on  liberty,  cries  of  Long  live  Bonaparte  !  Doivn 


32  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

with  the  Imvyers!  broke  out  on  all  sides,  and  the 
soldiers,  led  by  General  Murat,  rushed  into  the  hall 
of  the  Cinq-Cents.  Everybody  knows  what  happened 
there,  and  I  will  not  enter  into  details  which  have 
been  recounted  so  many  times. 

The  General,  on  becoming  First  Consul,  installed 
himself  at  the  Luxembourg.  At  this  time  he  also 
inhabited  Malmaison;  but  he  was  often  on  the  road, 
and  so  was  Josephine ;  for  their  journeys  to  Paris, 
when  they  occupied  this  residence,  were  very  fre- 
quent, not  simply  for  government  affairs,  which 
often  necessitated  the  presence  of  the  First  Consul, 
but  also  to  go  to  the  play,  which  General  Bona- 
parte was  very  fond  of,  always  giving  the  prefer- 
ence to  the  Theatre  Francais  and  the  Italian  opera. 
This  is  a  passing  observation  merely,  as  I  intend 
to  reserve  until  later  on  the  facts  I  have  col- 
lected concerning  the  tastes  and  familiar,  habits  of 
the  Emperor. 

Malmaison,  at  the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking, 
was  a  place  of  delights  where  no  one  was  ever  seen 
to  arrive  without  an  expression  of  satisfaction;  and 
everywhere  I  went,  I  also  heard  blessings  invoked 
on  the  First  Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte.  In 
Madame  Bonaparte's  salon  there  was  not  as  yet  the 
shadow  of  that  rigid  etiquette  which  it  was  after- 
ward necessary  to  observe  at  Saint-Cloud,  the  Tui- 
leries,  and  all  the  palaces  where  the  Emperor  might 
find  himself.  Society  there  displayed  a  simple  ele- 
gance alike  removed  from  republican  grossness  and 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  33 

the  luxury  of  the  Empire.  M.  de  Talleyrand  was  at 
this  period  one  of  the  most  assiduous  visitors  at  Mal- 
maison.  He  sometimes  dined  there,  but  it  was  more 
usual  for  him  to  come  in  the  evening,  between  eight 
and  nine  o'clock,  and  return  at  one  or  two,  and 
occasionally  at  three  in  the  morning.  Everybody 
was  admitted  at  the  house  of  Madame  Bonaparte  on  a 
footing  of  equality  which  pleased  her  much.  Murat, 
Duroc,  Berthier,  and  all  the  persons  who  have  since 
figured  as  great  dignitaries,  and  sometimes  with 
crowns,  in  the  annals  of  the  Empire,  came  there 
familiarly.  General  Bonaparte's  family  was  likewise 
very  attentive,  but  we  knew  very  well  amongst  our- 
selves that  they  did  not  like  Madame  Bonaparte;  I 
acquired  proofs  of  this  afterward.  Mademoiselle 
Hortense  never  quitted  her  mother,  and  they  loved 
each  other  very  much.  Besides  the  men  distinguished 
by  their  functions  in  the  government  and  the  army, 
there  came  also  some  who  were  not  less  so  by  their 
personal  merit,  and  who  had  been  so  by  their  birth 
before  the  Revolution.  It  was  a  veritable  maofic 
lantern  in  which  we  could  see  the  personages  defiling 
before  our  eyes,  and  this  spectacle,  without  recalling 
the  gaiety  of  Eugene's  breakfasts,  was  far  from  de- 
void of  attractions.  Among  the  j^ersons  whom  we 
saw  most  frequently,  I  must  mention:  M.  de  Volney, 
M.  Denon,  M.  Lemercier,  Prince  de  Poix,  MM.  de 
Laigle,  M.  Charles,  M.  Baudin,  General  Beurnonville, 
M.  Isabey,  and  a  large  number  of  other  men  cele- 
brated in  science,   literature,  and   art;   in   fine,  the 

VOL.   I.  V 


34  MEMOmS   OF  CONSTANT 

majority  of  those  Avho  formed  the  society  of  Ma- 
dame de  Montesson. 

Madame  Bonaparte  and  Mademoiselle  often  went 
out  into  the  country  on  horseback;  the  most  constant 
equerries  on  these  excursions  were  usually  Prince  de 
Poix  and  MM.  de  Laigle.  One  day,  as  one  of  these 
cavalcades  was  re-entering  the  court  of  Malmaison, 
Mademoiselle  Hortense's  horse  became  frightened 
and  ran  away.  Mademoiselle  Hortense,  who  sat  a 
horse  perfectly,  and  who  was  very  agile,  attempted  to 
spring  off  on  the  grass  beside  the  road,  but  the  fasten- 
ing which  kept  the  bottom  of  her  riding  habit  under 
her  foot  prevented  her  extricating  herself  quickly 
enough,  so  that  she  was  upset  and  dragged  along  by 
her  horse  for  several  feet.  Happily,  the  gentlemen 
who  accompanied  her,  having  seen  her  fall,  had  sprung 
off  their  horses  and  arrived  in  time  to  pick  her  up. 
By  an  extraordinary  piece  of  good  luck,  she  had  re- 
ceived no  contusion,  and  was  the  first  to  laugh  at  her 
mishap. 

During  the  earliest  period  of  my  sojourn  at  Mal- 
maison, the  First  Consul  always  occupied  the  same 
bed  with  his  wife,  like  an  honest  citizen  of  Paris, 
and  I  never  heard  of  a  single  gallant  intrigue  that 
took  place  in  the  chateau.  This  society,  the  majority 
of  whose  members  were  young,  and  who  were  often 
very  numerous,  frequently  gave  themselves  up  to 
exercises  which  reminded  one  of  college  recreations ; 
indeed,  one  of  the  great  diversions  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Malmaison  was  to  play  prisoner's  base.     It  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  35 


after  dinner,  usually,  that  Bonaparte,  MM.  de  Lauris- 
ton,  Didelot,  do  Luca}^,  de  Bourrienne,  Eugene,  Rapp, 
Isabey,  Madame  Bonaparte,  and  Mademoiselle  Hor- 
tense  divided  themselves  into  two  camps,  where  the 
prisoners  made  and  exchanged  reminded  the  First 
Consul  of  the  great  game  to  which  he  gave  the 
preference. 

The  most  agile  runners  in  these  games  of  prisoner's 
base  were  M.  Eugene,  M.  Isabey,  and  Mademoiselle 
Hortense ;  as  to  General  Bonaparte,  he  often  fell 
down,  but  he  picked  himself  up  again  with  shouts  of 
laughter. 

General  Bonaparte  and  his  family  seemed  to  enjoy 
an  unusual  happiness,  especially  while  they  were  at 
Malmaison.  This  habitation,  in  spite  of  the  pleasures 
enjoyed  there,  was  far  from  resembling  what  it  has 
been  since.  The  property  comprised  a  chateau  which 
General  Bonaparte  found  in  a  rather  bad  condition 
on  his  return  from  Egypt,  a  park  which  was  already 
very  pretty,  and  a  farm  the  yearly  income  from  which 
certainly  did  not  exceed  twelve  thousand  francs. 
Josephine  herself  superintended  all  the  works  exe- 
cuted there,  and  never  has  any  woman  been  endowed 
with  so  much  taste. 

From  the  commencement  they  acted  plays  at  Mal- 
maison. This  was  a  kind  of  recreation  which  the 
First  Consul  liked  greatly,  but  he  never  took  any 
part  except  that  of  spectator.  All  who  formed  part 
of  the  household  were  present  at  the  representations, 
and  I  will  not  conceal  the  pleasure  we  enjoyed,  more 


36  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

perhaps  than  any  of  the  others,  in  seeing  the  persons 
in  whose  service  we  were  thus  travestied  on  the  stage. 
The  Malmaison  troupe,  if  I  may  be  permitted  thus  to 
designate  actors  of  so  exalted  a  social  position,  was 
composed  principally  of  MM.  Eugene,  J^rSme,  Lauris- 
ton,  de  Bourrienne,  Isabey,  de  Leroy,  Didelot;  Mad- 
emoiselle Hortense,  Madame  Caroline  Murat,  and  the 
Demoiselles  Augui^,  one  of  whom  afterwards  married 
Marshal  Ney,  and  the  other  ]M.  de  Broc.  All  four 
were  very  3^oung  and  charming,  and  few  Parisian 
theatres  could  have  brought  together  such  pretty 
actresses.  Moreover,  they  were  very  graceful  on  the 
stage,  and  played  their  parts  with  real  talent.  They 
behaved  there  much  as  they  did  in  the  salon,  where 
they  had  an  air  of  exquisite  delicacy.  The  repertory 
was  not  greatly  varied  at  first,  but  it  was  usually 
very  well  selected.  The  first  representation  at  which 
I  was  present  Avas  composed  of  the  Barlner  de  Seville 
in  which  ]M.  Isabey  played  the  r81e  of  Figaro  and 
Mademoiselle  Hortense  that  of  Rosine ;  and  the 
DSpit  amoureux.  Another  time  I  saw  the  G-ageure 
imprevue  and  the  Fausses  Consultations  presented. 
Mademoiselle  Hortense  and  M.  Eugene  played  per- 
fectly in  this  latter  piece,  and  I  yet  remember  vividly 
how,  in  the  part  of  Madame  Leblanc,  Mademoiselle 
Hortense  seemed  prettier  than  ever  in  her  old 
woman's  costume.  M.  Eugene  represented  M.  Le- 
noir, and  M.  Lauriston  the  charlatan.  The  First 
Consul,  as  I  have  said,  confined  himself  to  the  r81e 
of  spectator,  but  he  appeared  to  take  the  most  lively 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  37 

pleasure  in  this  private,  and  one  might  say  family- 
theatre.  He  laughed,  he  applauded  heartily,  but 
also  he  often  criticised.  Madame  Bonaparte  was 
equally  amused,  and  even  if  she  had  not  been  proud 
of  the  success  of  her  children,  the  first  subjects  of  the 
troupe,  the  fact  that  this  was  a  relaxation  agreeable 
to  her  husband  would  have  been  enough  to  make  her 
seem  pleased  with  it ;  for  it  was  her  constant  study 
to  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  the  great  man  who 
had  united  his  destiny  to  hers. 

When  a  day  had  been  set  for  a  representation, 
there  was  never  a  "wo  performance,''^  but  there  was 
often  a  change  of  plays,  not  on  account  of  indisposi- 
tion or  an  actress's  headache,  as  happens  in  Parisian 
theatres,  but  for  much  more  serious  motives.  It 
often  happened  that  M.  d'Etieulette  would  be 
ordered  to  his  regiment;  that  an  important  mission 
would  be  entrusted  to  Count  Almaviva ;  but  Figaro 
and  Rosine  always  remained  faithful  at  their  post, 
and  the  desire  to  please  the  First  Consul  was,  more- 
over, so  general  among  all  who  surrounded  him,  that 
the  substitutes  manifested  the  utmost  good  will  in  the 
absence  of  the  principals  in  their  department,  and 
the  play  never  failed  through  default  of  an  actor.^ 


^  Miclian,  of  the  Comddie  Fran^aise,  was  the  instructor  of  the 
troupe  ;  whenever  any  of  tlie  actors  lacked  ardor,  Michau  would 
shout:  "C/iawcZ/   Chaicdl  Chaud!^^ 


CHAPTER  III 

M.  Charvet  —  Details  anterior  to  the  author's  entering  Madame 
Bonaparte's  service  —  Departure  for  Egypt  —  The  Pomona  — 
Madame  Bonaparte  at  Plombi^res  —  A  horrible  fall  —  Madame 
Bonaparte  forced  to  remain  at  the  baths  and  send  for  her  daugh- 
ter —  Euphemie  —  Love  for  dainties  and  roguishness  —  The 
Pomona  captured  by  the  English  —  Return  to  Paris  —  Purchase 
of  Malmaison  —  Eirst  plots  against  the  Eirst  Consul's  life  —  The 
marble  workers  —  The  poisoned  tobacco  —  Schemes  of  abduction 

—  Installation  at  the  Tuileries  —  The  horses  and  the  sabre  of 
Campo-Formio  —  The  heroes  of  Egypt  and  Italy  —  Lannes  — 
Murat  —  Eugfene  —  Arrangement  of  apartments  at  the  Tuileries 

—  Kitchen  staff  of  the  Eirst  Consul  —  Chamber  service  —  M.  de 
Bourrienne  —  A  game  at  billiards  with  Madame  Bonaparte  — 
The  watch-dogs  —  Accident  to  a  workman  —  The  Eirst  Consul's 
holidays — The  Eirst  Consul  much  loved  in  his  own  family  — 

—  They  xoould  not  dare  !  —  The  First  Consul  keeping  the  house 
accounts — The  yoke  of  misery. 

T"  HAD  not  been  long  in  Madame  Bonaparte's  service 
when  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  M.  Charvet, 
the  door-keeper  of  Malmaison.  My  connection  with 
this  excellent  man  became  more  intimate  daily,  so 
much  so  that  in  the  end  he  gave  me  one  of  his 
daugliters  in  marriage.  I  was  eager  to  learn  from 
him  all  that  referred  to  Madame  Bonaparte  and  the 
First  Consul  before  I  entered  the  household,  and  in 
our  frequent  interviews  he  took  the  greatest  pleasure 
in  satisfying  my  curiosity ;   it  is  to  his  confidences 

38 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  39 


that   I   owe   the   following   details    concerning    the 
mother  and  the  daughter. 

When  General  Bonaparte  set  off  for  Egypt, 
Madame  Bonaparte  accompanied  him  as  far  as 
Toulon.  She  even  desired  very  much  to  follow 
him  to  Egypt,  and  when  the  General  made  objections, 
she  reminded  him  that,  being  a  Creole  by  birth, 
the  warmth  of  the  climate  would  be  favorable  rather 
than  dangerous  to  her,  and  that,  by  a  singular  coinci- 
dence, it  was  on  the  Pomona  that  she  wished  to  make 
the  voyage  ;  that  is,  on  the  same  vessel  that  had 
brought  her  in  early  youth  from  Martinique  to 
France.  General  Bonaparte,  having  finally  acceded  to 
his  wife's  wishes,  promised  to  send  her  the  Pomona^ 
and  persuaded  her  to  go  meanwhile  and  take  the 
waters  of  Plombieres.  Things  were  settled  in  this 
way  between  the  husband  and  wife,  and  Madame 
Bonaparte  was  enchanted  to  go  to  Plombidres,  which 
she  had  long  desired  to  do,  knowing,  like  everybody 
else,  what  was  the  special  reputation  of  these  waters. 

Madame  Bonaparte  had  been  at  Plombieres  but 
a  short  time,  when  one  morning,  as  she  was  in  her 
salon,  hemming  bandana  handkerchiefs,  and  chatting 
with  some  ladies,  Madame  de  Cambis,  who  was  on 
the  balcony,  called  her  to  come  and  see  a  pretty  little 
dog  that  was  passing  in  the  street.  All  present  ran 
out  after  Madame  Bonaparte,  and  then  the  balcony 
gave  way  with  a  frightful  crash.  Fortunately,  and 
one  may  say  by  a  great  chance,  nobody  was  killed ; 
but  Madame  de  Cambis  had  her  thigh  broken,  and 


40  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

Madame  Bonaparte  was  cruelly  bruised,  although 
no  bones  were  fractured.  M.  Charvet,  who  was  in 
a  room  over  the  salon,  ran  down  on  hearing-  the  noise 
and  had  a  sheep  killed  and  skinned  immediately,  and 
Madame  Bonaparte  enveloped  in  the  skin.  She  was 
a  long  time  in  regaining  her  health.  Her  arms  and 
hands,  especially,  were  so  bruised  that  for  some  time 
she  was  unable  to  use  them,  and  it  was  necessary  to 
cut  up  her  food  and  put  it  in  her  mouth,  and,  in  a 
word,  to  render  her  every  service  ordinarily  required 
by  a  child. 

We  have  just  seen  that  Josephine  expected  to 
rejoin  her  husband  in  Egypt,  and  this  gave  her 
reason  to  suppose  that  her  stay  at  the  baths  of 
Plombieres  would  not  last  long;  but  her  accident 
made  her  conclude  that  it  would  be  prolonged  in- 
definitely, and  she  wished,  while  her  health  was 
being  re-established,  to  have  her  daughter  with  her. 
Hortense  was  then  fifteen,  and  was  being  educated 
at  Madame  Campan's  boarding-school.  She  sent  a 
mulatto  woman  after  her  whom  she  was  very  fond 
of.  Euphemie,  as  she  was  called,  was  the  foster-sister 
of  Madame  Bonaparte,  and  was  even  supposed,  though 
I  do  not  know  whether  the  supposition  was  well 
founded,  to  be  her  natural  sistei'.  Euph(3mie  set  off 
with  M.  Charvet  in  one  of  Madame  Bonaparte's 
carriages.  On  their  arrival  Hortense  was  enchanted 
with  the  journey  she  was  about  to  make,  and  espe- 
cially with  the  idea  of  going  to  licr  mother,  for  whom 
she  had  the  liveliest  affection.     Mademoiselle   Hor- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  41 

tense  was,  I  will  not  say  a  glutton,  but  excessively 
fond  of  good  eating,  and  so  M.  Charvet,  in  relating 
these  details,  told  me  that  in  every  town  of  the  least 
importance  the  carriage  was  replenished  with  bon- 
bons and  dainties,  of  which  Mademoiselle  Hortense 
consumed  a  great  many.  One  day  when  Euph^mie 
and  M.  Charvet  were  sound  asleep,  they  were  sud- 
denly awakened  by  a  report  which  to  them  seemed 
terrible,  and  which  gave  them  the  greatest  uneasiness, 
since,  on  awakening,  they  found  they  were  passing 
through  a  dense  forest.  This  fortuitous  accident 
made  Hortense  shout  with  laughter,  for  they  had 
hardly  shown  their  fright  before  they  were  inundated 
with  an  odorous  foam  which  explained  where  the 
report  came  from :  it  was  that  of  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne placed  in  one  of  the  pockets  of  the  carriage, 
and  which  the  heat  and  the  motion,  or  more  prob- 
ably the  roguishness  of  the  young  traveller,  had 
uncorked  with  a  good  deal  of  noise.  When  Mad- 
emoiselle Hortense  reached  Plombieres,  her  mother 
was  nearly  well,  so  that  Madame  Campan's  pupil 
found  there  all  the  distractions  and  amusements 
suitable  to  her  age. 

One  has  reason  to  say  that  every  mischance  has  its 
good  side ;  for,  but  for  the  accident  that  happened  to 
Madame  Bonaparte,  it  is  among  the  possibilities  that 
she  would  have  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  English. 
She  learned,  in  fact,  that  the  ship  Pomona,  on  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  she  wished  to  make  the  voyage,  had 
fallen  into  the  hands  of   these  enemies  of  France. 


42  MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT 


And  as,  moreover,  every  letter  from  General  Bona- 
parte dissuaded  his  wife  from  joining  him,  she 
returned  to  Paris. 

On  her  arrival  Josephine  bethought  her  of  accom- 
plishing a  wish  that  had  been  expressed  by  General 
Bonaparte  before  his  departure.  He  had  told  her 
that  he  would  like  to  have  a  countr}''  house  on  his 
return,  and  had  even  commissioned  his  brother  Joseph 
to  take  the  matter  in  hand,  which  ]M.  Joseph  did  not 
do.  Madame  Bonaparte,  who  was,  on  the  contrary, 
always  on  the  lookout  for  whatever  might  please 
her  husband,  set  several  people  to  work  hunting  ujd 
something  that  might  be  suitable  in  the  environs 
of  Paris.  After  hesitating  long  between  Ris  and 
Malmaison,  she  decided  on  the  latter,  and  bought  it 
from  M.  Lecoulteux-Dumoley  for,  I  think,  the  sum 
of  four  hundred  thousand  francs. 

It  was  stories  of  this  kind  that  M.  Charvet  was 
kind  enough  to  tell  me  in  the  days  when  I  first 
entered  the  service  of  Madame  Bonaparte.  Every 
one  in  the  house  liked  to  talk  about  her,  and  as- 
suredly not  for  the  sake  of  slandering  her ;  for  no 
woman  was  ever  more  loved  by  those  around  her, 
or  deserved  to  be  so.  General  Bonaparte  also  was 
an  excellent  man  in  the  privacy  of  family  life. 

Since  the  return  of  the  First  Consul  from  his 
Egyptian  campaign,  several  attempts  had  been  made 
on  his  life.  The  police  had  many  times  warned  him 
to  be  on  his  guard,  and  not  to  venture  about  alone 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Malmaison.     The  First  Con- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  43 

sul  was  not  much  inclined  to  be  suspicious,  espe- 
cially before  this  period.  But  the  discovery  of  the 
snares  laid  for  him  in  his  most  intimate  private  life, 
forced  him  to  use  prudence  and  precaution.  It  has 
been  said  since  then  that  these  pretended  conspira- 
cies were  mere  fabrications  of  the  police,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  making  themselves  necessary  to  the  First 
Consul,  or  else  (who  knows?)  of  the  First  Consul 
himself,  in  order  to  redouble  the  interest  attaching 
to  his  person  by  fear  of  the  perils  menacing  his  life ; 
and  the  absurdity  of  these  attempts  has  been  alleged 
in  proof  of  their  falsity.  I  do  not  pretend  to  solve 
such  mysteries ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  in  the 
matter  in  question,  absurdity  proves  nothing,  or,  at 
all  events,  does  not  prove  falsity.  The  conspirators 
of  that  epoch  have  given  us  their  own  measure  so  far 
as  extravagance  is  concerned.  What  could  be  more 
absurd,  and  yet  more  real,'  than  the  atrocious  folly  of 
the  infernal  machine?  However  it  may  be,  I  am 
going  to  recount  what  happened  under  my  own  eyes 
during  the  first  months  of  my  sojourn  at  Malmaison. 
Nobody  in  the  house  had  the  least  doubt  of  the  reality 
of  these  attempts,  or,  at  any  rate,  nobody  displayed 
any  such  doubts  before  me. 

All  means  to  get  rid  of  the  First  Consul  seemed 
good  to  his  enemies.  They  took  everything  into 
their  calculations,  even  his  recreations,  as  the  follow- 
ing occurrence  will  prove. 

There  were  repairs  and  embellishments  to  make 
in  the  chimneys  of  the  First  Consul's  apartments  at 


44  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

Malmaison.  The  contractor  who  had  undertaken 
them  had  sent  some  marble-cutters,  among  whom  had 
slipped  in,  according  to  all  appearances,  some  wretches 
bribed  by  the  conspirators.  The  persons  attached  to 
the  First  Consul  were  constantly  on  the  watch,  and 
used  the  greatest  vigilance.  They  thought  they  no- 
ticed that  there  were  some  men  among  these  laborers 
who  pretended  to  be  working,  but  whose  manner 
and  appearance  were  not  in  keeping  with  their  occu- 
pation. These  suspicions  were,  unhappily,  but  too 
well  founded ;  for  ^^'hen  the  apartments  were  ready 
to  receive  the  First  Consul,  and  at  the  moment  when 
he  came  to  occupy  them,  some  one  found,  in  making 
a  turn  about  the  rooms,  on  the  desk  at  which  he  was 
about  to  seat  himself,  a  snuff-box  exactly  similar  to 
the  one  the  First  Consul  was  in  the  habit  of  using. 
It  was  supposed  at  first  that  this  box  really  belonged 
to  him  and  had  been  forgotten  there  by  his  valet,  but 
the  doubts  excited  by  the  appearance  of  some  of  the 
marble-cutters  having  taken  more  consistency,  the 
snuff  w^as  examined  and  analj^zed.  It  was  poisoned. 
Those  who  plotted  this  treachery  had,  so  people 
said  in  those  days,  an  understanding  with  other 
conspirators,  who  were  to  try  a  different  means  of 
getting  rid  of  the  First  Consul.  They  determined 
to  assail  the  guard  of  the  chateau  of  INIalmaison  and 
forcibly  abduct  the  head  of  the  government.  With 
this  end  in  view  they  had  uniforms  made  similar 
to  those  of  the  consular  guides  who  were  then  on 
duty  day  and  night  near  the  First  Consul,  and  who 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  45 

followed  liim  on  horseback  in  his  excursions.  In 
this  costume,  and  by  aid  of  their  understanding 
with  their  accomplices  within  the  house  (the  pre- 
tended marble-cutters),  they  might  easily  have 
approached  and  mingled  with  the  guard,  who  were 
fed  and  lodged  at  the  chateau;  they  might  even 
have  reached  the  First  Consul  and  carried  him  off. 
This  first  scheme,  however,  was  abandoned  as  too 
risky,  and  the  conspirators  flattered  themselves 
that  they  could  attain  their  object  more  surely  and 
witli  less  danger  by  taking  advantage  of  the  First 
Consul's  frequent  journeys  to  Paris.  Aided  by 
their  disguise,  they  were  to  mingle  with  the  guides 
of  the  escort  and  kill  them.  Their  rallying-point 
was  to  be  the  quarries  of  Nanterre.  Their  plot  was 
discovered  for  the  second  time.  There  was  a  rather 
deep  quarry  in  the  park  at  Malmaison,  and  as  it  was 
feared  that  it  miglit  be  taken  advantage  of  as  a 
hiding-place  whence  violence  might  be  done  to  the 
First  Consul  in  one  of  his  solitary  walks,  an  iron 
door  was  put  there. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  February  19, 
the  First  Consul  repaired  in  state  to  the  Tuileries, 
which  was  then  styled  the  Palace  of  the  Government, 
in  order  to  install  himself  there  with  all  his  house- 
hold. His  two  colleagues  were  with  him,  one  of 
whom,  the  Third  Consul,  was  to  occupy  the  same 
residence  and  establish  himself  in  the  Pavilion  of 
Flora.  The  carriage  of  the  consuls  was  drawn  by 
six   white    horses    presented   to   the    conqueror    of 


46  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Italy  by  the  Emperor  of  Germany  after  the  signatures 
had  been  affixed  to  the  treaty  of  Campo-Formio. 
The  magnificent  sabre  worn  by  the  First  Consul  at 
this  ceremony  had  also  been  given  him  by  that 
monarch  on  the  same  occasion.  A  remarkable 
thing  about  this  formal  change  of  domicile  was  that 
the  acclamations  and  regards  of  the  crowd,  and  even 
of  the  most  distinguished  spectators  who  thronged 
the  windows  of  the  rue  Thionville  and  the  quai 
Voltaire,  were  addressed  only  to  the  First  Consul 
and  the  young  warriors  of  his  brilliant  staff,  still 
all  bronzed  by  the  sun  of  the  Pyramids  or  of  Italy. 
In  the  first  rank  marched  Generals  Lannes  and 
Murat,  the  first  easy  to  recognize  by  the  audacity 
of  his  appearance  and  his  thoroughly  military  man- 
ners ;  the  second  by  the  same  qualities  and,  in  addi- 
tion, by  a  very  punctilious  elegance  in  his  costume 
and  his  weapons.  His  new  title  of  brother-in-law  to 
the  First  Consul  likewise  contributed  powerfully 
to  fix  universal  attention  on  him.  For  my  part, 
all  mine  was  absorbed  by  the  principal  person  in 
the  procession,  whom,  like  all  the  people  who 
surrounded  me,  I  never  looked  at  without  a  sort 
of  religious  admiration,  and  by  his  stepson,  the  son 
of  my  excellent  mistress  and  himself  my  former 
master,  the  brave,  modest,  and  good  Prince  Eugene, 
who  at  that  time  was  not  yet  a  prince.  On  arriving 
at  the  Tuileries,  the  First  Consul  took  possession  at 
once  of  the  apartment  he  alwaj^s  occupied  thereafter, 
and  which  formed  part  of  what  liad  been  the  royal 


MEMOIRS   OF   CONSTANT  47 

apartments.  This  suite  was  composed  of  a  bedroom, 
bath-room,  a  cabinet,  and  a  salon  in  which  he  gave 
audience  in  the  morning,  a  second  salon  where  the 
aides-de-camp  on  duty  remained,  and  which  served 
him  as  a  dining-room,  and  of  a  vast  antechamber. 
Madame  Bonaparte  had  her  own  apartments  on  the 
ground-floor,  the  same  she  occupied  when  Empress. 
Over  the  part  of  the  building  inhabited  by  the  First 
Consul  was  the  lodging  of  M.  de  Bourrienne,  his 
secretary,  communication  between  them  being  estab- 
lished by  means  of  a  private  stairway. 

Although  he  alread}^  had  courtiers  at  this  period, 
he  had  as  yet  no  court.  The  etiquette  was  of  the 
simplest  description.  As  I  have  said  before,  the 
First  Consul  slept  in  the  same  bed  as  his  wife. 
They  inhabited  together  sometimes  the  Tuileries 
and  sometimes  Malmaison ;  as  yet  neither  grand 
marshal,  chamberlains,  prefects  of  the  palace,  nor 
ladies  of  honor,  tiring  women  and  pages  were  to  be 
seen.  The  household  of  the  First  Consul  comprised 
merely  M.  Pfister,  the  steward,  M.  Venard,  chief 
cook,  MM.  Gaillot  and  Dauger,  superintendents, 
and  Colin,  chief  of  the  kitchen  and  its  depend- 
encies. M.  Ripeau  was  librarian,  and  the  elder 
M.  Vigogne,  equeny.  Tlie  persons  engaged  in 
private  service  were  the  first  valet  de  chambre,  M. 
Hambart;  Hubert,  ordinary  valet;  and  Roustan,  the 
First  Consul's  Mameluke.  There  were  besides  some 
fifteen  persons  employed  in  subordinate  offices.  M. 
de  Bourrienne  governed  the  entire  force  and  checked 


48  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

the  expenditures ;  although  very  quick-tempered,  he 
had  been  able  to  conciliate  universal  respect  and 
affection ;  he  was  kind,  obliging,  and  above  all  very 
just.  Hence,  at  the  time  of  his  disgrace,  the  whole 
household  was  grieved  about  it ;  for  my  part,  I  have 
retained  a  sincere  and  respectful  memory  of  him, 
and  I  hope  that,  if  he  has  had  the  misfortune  to 
find  enemies  among  the  great,  he  has  at  least  met 
among  his  inferiors  none  but  grateful  hearts  which 
have  keenly  regretted  him. 

Some  days  after  this  installation,  there  was  a  re- 
ception of  the  diplomatic  corps  at  the  chateau ;  the 
details  I  am  about  to  give  concerning  it  will  show 
how  simple  was  the  etiquette  at  this  time  of  what 
was  already  styled  the  Court 

By  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  the  apartments 
of  Madame  Bonaparte,  situated  as  I  have  said,  in 
the  part  of  the  ground-floor  overlooking  the  garden, 
were  thronged  with  people ;  there  was  an  incredible 
profusion  of  feathers,  diamonds,  and  dazzling  toilets ; 
such  a  crowd  was  present  that  it  was  necessary  to 
open  the  door  of  Madame  Bonaparte's  bedroom,  for 
the  two  salons  were  so  full  that  it  was  impossible 
to  move  around  in  them. 

When  all  these  people  had  taken  their  places  as 
well  as  they  could,  after  a  good  deal  of  embarrass- 
ment and  trouble,  Madame  Bonaparte  was  announced, 
and  entered,  conducted  by  M.  de  Talleyrand.  She 
wore  a  white  muslin  robe  with  short  sleeves,  and  a 
pearl  necklace.     Her  head  was  bare,  and  her  braided 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  49 

hair  kept  in  place  by  a  shell  comb  with  a  most  charm- 
ing negligence ;  her  ears  must  have  been  agreeably 
struck  by  the  flattering  murmurs  that  greeted  her 
entrance.  Never,  I  think,  had  she  more  grace  and 
majesty. 

M.  de  Talleyrand,  still  giving  his  hand  to  Madame 
Bonaparte,  had  the  honor  of  presenting  to  her  in 
succession  the  members  of  the  diplomatic  corps,  not 
by  their  own  names  but  by  those  of  their  courts. 
Afterwards  he  made  the  round  of  the  two  salons 
with  her.  The  review  of  the  second  salon  was  half 
over  when,  without  having  himself  announced,  the 
Fii-st  Consul  entered,  in  an  extremely  simple  uni- 
form, with  a  tricolored  scarf  of  silk,  with  fringe  of 
the  same  material,  tied  round  him.  He  wore  white 
cashmere  tights,  with  top  boots,  and  carried  his  hat 
in  his  hand.  This  unelaborate  costume  appearing 
in  the  midst  of  the  embroidered  coats,  overloaded 
with  ribbons  and  jewels,  which  were  worn  by  the 
ambassadors,  formed  a  contrast  at  least  as  imposing 
as  did  the  toilet  of  Madame  Bonaparte  with  those 
of  the  ladies  invited. 

Before  relating  how  it  was  that  I  left  Madame 
Bonaparte's  service  for  that  of  the  head  of  the  State, 
and  the  abode  of  ^lalmaison  for  the  second  campaign 
in  Italy,  I  think  it  well  to  stop,  give  a  glance  behind 
me,  and  set  down  here  one  or  two  souvenirs  of  the 
time  when  I  still  belonged  to  Madame  Bonaparte. 
In  the  evenings,  wlien  nearly  everybody  had  retired,' 
she  was  fond  of  sitting  up  to  play  a  game  of  billiards 


50  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

and  oftener  still  of  backgammon.  It  happened  once 
that,  having  dismissed  all  her  company,  and  being 
still  disinclined  to  sleep,  she  asked  me  if  I  knew  how 
to  play  billiards.  On  my  reply,  which  was  affirma- 
tive, she  asked  me  with  charming  kindness  to  have  a 
game  with  her,  and  1  had  the  honor  of  playing  several. 
Although  I  have  a  certain  skill,  I  managed  so  as  to 
let  her  win  frequently,  which  amused  her  very  much. 
If  this  was  flattery,  I  must  own  myself  guilty  of  it, 
but  I  think  I  would  have  acted  in  the  same  way 
with  any  other  woman,  whatever  her  rank  and  posi- 
tion in  relation  to  me,  even  though  she  were  not 
half  so  amiable  as  Madame  Bonaparte. 

The  porter  of  Malmaison,  who  had  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  his  masters,  among  other  means  of  defence 
and  surveillance  which  he  had  devised  in  order  to 
guard  the  house  and  person  of  the  First  Consul  from 
an  unexpected  attack,  had  obtained  a  number  of 
enormous  watch-dogs,  two  of  which  were  very  fine 
Newfoundlands.  The  embellishments  of  Malmaison 
were  constantly  in  progress,  and  a  crowd  of  work- 
men spent  the  nights  there,  all  of  whom  had  been 
warned  not  to  go  out  of  doors  alone.  One  night 
when  several  of  these  watch-dogs  were  inside  the 
house  with  the  workmen,  and  allowing  themselves 
to  be  caressed,  their  apparent  gentleness  inspired 
one  of  these  men  with  so  much  courage,  or  rather 
imprudence,  that  he  was  not  afraid  to  go  out  alone. 
He  even  thought  that,  to  avoid  all  danger,  he  could 
not  do  better  than  put  himself  under  the  protection 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  61 

of  one  of  these  terrible  animals.  So  he  took  one 
with  him,  and  they  went  together,  very  amicably, 
through  the  doorway ;  but  hardly  was  he  outside 
when  the  dog  sprang  upon  his  unlucky  companion 
and  threw  him  down.  The  cries  of  the  poor  work- 
man awakened  several  of  the  men-servants  and  they 
ran  to  his  rescue.  It  was  time,  for  the  dog  was  keep- 
ing him  down  and  choking  him  cruelly;  he  was 
picked  up,  badly  wounded.  Madame  Bonaparte,  on 
learning  this  incident,  had  the  man  who  so  narrowly 
escaped  being  a  victim  cared  for  until  he  was  per- 
fectly cured,  and  gave  him  a  large  gratuity,  at  the 
same  time  recommending  him  to  be  more  prudent 
in  future. 

Every  moment  that  the  First  Consul  could  snatch 
from  affairs  he  spent  at  Malmaison  :  the  eve  of  each 
decadi^  was  a  festival  looked  forward  to  by  every 
one  in  the  chateau.  Madame  Bonaparte  used  to 
send  domestics  afoot  and  on  horseback  to  meet  her 
husband,  and  even  went  lierself  frequently  with  her 
daughter  and  the  intimates  of  Malmaison.  When  I 
was  not  on  duty  I  took  the  saine  direction  mj^self, 
and  all  alone ;  for  we  all  had  an  equal  affection  for 
the  First  Consul  and  experienced  the  same  anxiety 
about  him.  Such  was  the  bitterness  and  the  audacity 
of  the  enemies  of  the  First  Consul,  that  the  road, 
though  not  very  long,  between  Paris  and  Malmaison 
was  strewn  with  snares  and  dangers;  we  knew  that 

^  The  tenth  and  last  day  in  the  Republican  calendax. 


62  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

several  attempts  to  abduct  him  while  passing  over 
it  had  been  made  and  might  be  repeated.  The  pas- 
sage most  suspected  was  that  of  the  quarries  of 
Nanterre,  which  I  have  mentioned  already  ;  hence 
they  were  carefully  visited  and  inspected  by  the 
men  of  the  household  on  the  days  of  the  First 
Consul's  visits ;  in  the  end  they  filled  up  the  holes 
that  were  nearest  the  road.  The  First  Consul  was 
pleased  with  our  devotion  and  let  us  see  his  satis- 
faction, but  for  his  own  part  seemed  always  fearless 
and  without  anxiety  ;  in  fact,  he  often  mocked  at  us 
for  ours,  and  would  tell  the  good  Josephine  very 
seriously  that  he  had  had  a  fine  escape  on  the  road ; 
that  men  with  sinister  faces  had  shown  themselves 
many  a  time  while  he  was  passing ;  that  one  of  them 
had  had  the  audacity  to  take  aim  at  him,  etc. ;  and 
when  he  saw  her  very  frightened,  he  would  burst 
out  laughing  and  give  her  several  taps  or  kisses  on 
the  cheek  or  neck  and  say:  "Don't  be  afraid,  you 
great  ninny,  they  would  not  dare." 

He  busied  himself  on  these  holidays,  as  he  himself 
called  them,  more  with  his  private  affairs  than  with 
those  of  the  State.  But  he  could  never  remain 
idle ;  he  was  always  demolishing,  restoring,  build- 
ing, enlarging,  planting,  pruning  in  the  chateau 
and  in  the  park,  examining  the  expense  accounts, 
calculating  his  income,  and  prescribing  economies. 
Time  passed  quickly  in  all  these  occupations,  and 
the  moment  soon  came  when  he  must  go,  as  he 
used  to  say,  to  resume  the  i/oke  of  misery. 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  First  Consul  takes  the  author  into  his  service  —  Forgotten  — 
Chagrin  —  Consolations  offered  by  Madame  Bonaparte  —  Repar- 
ation—  Constant's  departure  for  the  First  Consul's  headquarters 

—  Enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers  starting  for  Italy  —  The  author 
rejoins  the  First  Consul  —  Hospice  of  Mont  Saint-Bernard  — 
Passage  —  The  slide  —  Huniariity  of  the  monks  and  generosity  of 
the  First  Consul  —  Passage  of  Mont  Albaredo  —  The  First 
Consul's  glance  —  Taking  of  Fort  de  Bard  —  Entry  of  Milan  — 
Joy  and  confidence  of  the  Milanese  —  Constant's  colleagues  — 
Hambard  —  Hubert  —  Roustau  —  Ibrahim-Ali  —  An  Arab's  anger 
— The  poniard  —  The  surprise  bath  —  Sequel  of  the  Italian  cam- 
paign—  Combat  of  Montebello — Arrival  of  Desaix  —  Long  inter- 
view with  the  First  Consul  —  Desaix's  anger  against  the  English 

—  Battle  of  Marengo  —  Painful  uncertainty  —  Victory  —  Death 
of  Desaix  —  The  First  Consul's  sorrow  —  The  aides-de-camp  of 
Desaix  become  the  aides-de-camp  of  the  First  Consul  —  MM. 
Rapp  and  Savaiy  —  Tomb  of  Desaix  on  ilont  Saint-Bernard. 

rpOWARD  the  end  of  March,  1800,  five  or  six 
months  after  my  entering  the  service  of  Madame 
Bonaparte,  the  First  Consul  kept  his  eyes  on  me  one 
day  while  eating  his  dinner,  and  having  weighed  and 
measured  me  from  top  to  toe :  "  Young  man,"  said 
he  to  me,  "  would  you  like  to  follow  me  to  the  cam- 
paign?" I  replied  with  much  emotion  that  I  would 
ask  nothing  better.  "  Very  well,  then,  you  shall  fol- 
low me ; "  and  on  rising  from  the  table  he  ordered 
M.  Pfister,  the  steward,  to  put  me  on  the  list  of 
those  belonging  to  the  household  who  were  to  take 

53 


54  MEMOinS   OF  CONSTANT 

the  journey.  My  preparations  did  not  take  long; 
I  was  enchanted  at  the  notion  of  being  attached  to 
the  personal  service  of  so  great  a  man,  and  I  already 
beheld  myself  on  the  other  side  of  the  Alps.  .  .  . 
The  First  Consul  went  away  without  me !  M. 
Pfister,  through  a  possibly  premeditated  forgetful- 
ness,  had  omitted  to  inscribe  me  on  the  list.  I  was 
in  despair,  and  went  crying  to  my  excellent  mistress 
to  relate  my  misadventure,  and  she  kindly  endeav- 
ored to  console  me  by  saying :  "  Oh  well,  Constant, 
all  is  not  lost,  my  friend:  you  will  stay  with  me 
and  go  hunting  in  the  park  to  divert  yourself,  and 
perhaps  in  the  end  the  First  Consul  will  ask  you 
again."  Nevertheless  Madame  Bonaparte  did  not 
expect  this;  for  she  thought  as  I  did,  though  out 
of  kindness  she  would  not  tell  me  so,  that  the  First 
Consul,  having  changed  his  mind  and  no  longer 
desiring  my  services  in  the  campaign,  had  himself 
countermanded  his  order.  I  soon  obtained  direct 
proof  to  the  contrary.  On  the  way  to  Dijon,  in  his 
march  toward  Mont  Saint-Bernard,  the  First  Con- 
sul, who  thought  I  was  in  his  suite,  asked  for  me 
and  learned  then  that  I  had  been  forgotten.  He 
showed  some  dissatisfaction  and  desired  M.  de  Bour- 
rienne  to  write  immediately  to  Madame  Bonaparte 
and  beg  her  to  send  me  along  without  delay.  One 
morning  when  my  vexation  had  returned,  more  keen 
than  ever,  Madame  Bonaparte  summoned  me  and 
said,  with  M.  de  Bourricnne's  letter  in  her  hand: 
"  Constant,  since  you   are   resolved   to   quit   us   to 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  56 

make  your  campaigns,  you  may  rejoice  and  be  glad, 
for  you  are  going  to  start ;  the  First  Consul  has  sent 
for  you.  Call  on  M.  Maret  and  inquire  whether  he 
is  not  to  send  a  courier  very  soon ;  you  can  travel 
along  with  him."  At  this  good  news  I  was  in  a 
state  of  inexpressible  rapture  which  I  did  not  try 
to  hide.  "  Then  you  are  very  glad  to  get  away  from 
us?"  observed  Madame  Bonaparte  with  a  kindly 
smile.  "No,  Madame,"  I  replied;  "but  to  come 
nearer  the  First  Consul  is  not  to  go  further  from 
Madame."  —  "I  hope  so,  truly,"  she  returned.  "  Go, 
Constant,  and  take  good  care  of  him."  If  there 
had  been  any  need  of  it,  this  recommendation  from 
my  noble  mistress  would  have  augmented  the  zeal 
and  vigilance  with  which  I  had  determined  to  fill 
my  new  position. 

I  ran  without  delay  to  the  house  of  M.  Maret,  the 
Secretary  of  State,  who  knew  me  and  had  shown 
me  much  kindness.  "  Get  ready  at  once,"  he 
said  to  me ;  "  a  courier  will  be  starting  this  even- 
ing or  to-morrow  morning."  I  returned  in  haste 
to  Malmaison  to  announce  my  near  departure  to 
Madame  Bonaparte.  She  instantly  had  a  good  post- 
chaise  prepared  for  me,  and  Thi^baut  (that  was  the 
name  of  the  courier  I  was  to  accompany)  was  charged 
to  provide  horses  for  me  all  along  the  road.  M. 
Maret  gave  me  eight  hundred  francs  for  my  travelling 
expenses.  This  sum,  which  I  was  far  from  expect- 
ing, made  me  open  my  eyes  ;  never  had  I  beheld 
myself  so  rich.     At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  a 


66  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

messenger  came  from  Thiebaut  to  notify  me  that 
everything  was  ready.  I  went  to  his  house,  where 
the  post-chaise  was  waiting,  and  we  set  off. 

I  travelled  very  agreeably,  sometimes  in  the  post- 
chaise  and  sometimes  as  courier ;  in  the  latter  case 
I  took  Thiebaut's  place  and  he  mine.  I  expected  to 
rejoin  the  First  Consul  at  Martigny,  but  his  march  had 
been  so  rapid  that  I  only  came  up  with  him  at  the 
convent  of  Mont  Saint-Bernard.  On  our  way  we  were 
continually  passing  regiments  on  the  march,  and  of- 
ficers and  soldiers  who  were  hastening  to  rejoin  their 
several  corps.  Their  enthusiasm  was  inexpressible. 
Those  who  had  made  the  Italian  campaigns,  rejoiced 
at  returning  to  so  beautiful  a  country ;  those  who  did 
not  know  it  as  yet,  were  burning  to  see  the  battle- 
field immortalized  by  French  valor  and  the  genius  of 
the  hero  still  marching  at  their  head.  They  all  acted 
as  if  going  to  a  feast,  and  climbed  the  Valais  moun- 
tains, singing.  It  was  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  I  arrived  at  headquarters.  Pfister  announced 
me,  and  I  found  the  Commander-in-Chief  in  the  great 
lower  hall  of  the  hospice.  He  was  taking  his  break- 
fast standing,  along  with  his  staff.  As  soon  as  he 
caught  sight  of  me :  "  Ah !  there  you  are,  then,  you 
rogue !  Why  didn't  you  come  with  me  ?  "  said  he. 
I  excused  myself,  saying  that,  to  my  great  regret,  I 
had  received  a  countermand,  or  at  least  had  been  left 
behind  at  the  moment  of  departure.  "  Lose  no  time, 
my  friend,"  he  added,  "  eat  a  mouthful  quickly ;  we 
are    going    to    start."     From    that   moment   I   was 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  57 

attached  to  the  special  service  of  the  First  Consul  in 
the  capacity  of  ordinary  valet  de  chambre,  that  is,  in 
my  turn.  This  service  gave  me  very  little  to  do. 
M.  Hambart,  chief  valet  de  chambre  of  the  First 
Consul,  was  in  the  habit  of  dressing  him  from  head 
to  foot- 
Directly  after  breakfast  we  began  to  descend  the 
mountain.  Several  persons  slid  down  on  the  snow, 
very  much  as  people  roll  down  from  the  top  of  the 
Russian  mountains  in  the  Beaujon  garden.  I 
followed  their  example.  They  called  it  making  a 
sledge.  The  Commander-in-Chief  also  slid  down  an 
almost  perpendicular  glacier  in  this  way.  His  guide 
was  an  alert  and  courageous  peasant  whose  future 
the  First  Consul  assured  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Some  young  soldiers  who  had  gone  astray  in  the 
snow  had  been  discovered,  almost  dead  with  cold,  by 
the  dogs  of  the  religious,  and  transported  to  the 
hospice,  where  they  had  received  all  imaginable  care 
and  been  speedily  returned  to  life.  The  First  Consul 
manifested  his  gratitude  to  the  good  fathers  for  such 
active  and  generous  charity.  Before  quitting  the 
hospice,  where  tables  loaded  with  provisions  were 
prepared  for  the  soldiers  as  they  climbed  up,  he  left 
the  pious  monks,  in  recompense  for  the  hospitality 
he  and  his  companions  had  received,  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  and  the  vouchers  for  an  annuity  for 
the  support  of  their  convent. 

That  same  day  we  scaled  Mont  Albaredo  ;  but  as 
this  passage  would  have  been  impracticable  for  the 


58  MEMOIES   OF  coy  STAN  T 

cavalry  and  artillery,  they  were  sent  by  way  of  the 
town  of  Bard,  under  the  batteries  of  the  fort.  The 
First  Consul  had  ordered  them  to  pass  it  by  night 
and  on  the  gallop,  and  had  had  the  wheels  of  the 
artillery  wagons  and  the  horses'  feet  wrapped  in 
straw.  These  precautions  were  not  sufficient  com- 
pletely to  prevent  the  Austrians  from  hearing  our 
troops,  and  the  cannons  of  the  fort  never  stopped 
firing  grape-shot.  But,  luckily,  the  houses  of  the 
town  sheltered  our  soldiers  from  the  fire  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  more  than  half  the  army  traversed  the  city 
without  having  much  to  suifer.  As  to  the  house- 
hold of  the  First  Consul,  commanded  by  General 
Gardanne,  and  of  which  I  was  one,  it  went  around 
the  Fort  of  Bard.  iMay  23,  we  forded  a  torrent  -which 
flowed  between  the  town  and  the  fort,  with  the  First 
Consul  at  our  head.  He  climbed  afterwards,  fol- 
lowed by  General  Berthier  and  several  officers,  a  foot- 
path up  the  Albaredo  which  commanded  the  fort  and 
city  of  Bard.  There,  turning  his  pocket-glass  on 
the  opposing  batteries,  against  whose  fire  nothing 
protected  him  but  some  bushes,  he  found  fault  with 
the  disposal  of  the  troops  made  by  the  officer  charged 
with  commanding  the  siege,  and  ordered  new  ones, 
whose  effect  would  be,  as  he  said  himself,  to  make 
the  place  fall  into  his  hands  within  a  very  short  time, 
and  rid  him,  henceforward,  of  the  trouble  given  him 
by  this  fort,  which,  said  he,  had  hindered  him  from 
slee[)ing  the  two  days  he  had  spent  at  the  convent  of 
Saint-Maurice.     Then,  extending  himself  at  the  foot 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  59 

of  a  fir  tree,  he  fell  into  a  sound  slumber,  the  army 
meanwhile  continuing  its  passage.  Refreshed  by 
this  brief  instant  of  repose,  the  First  Consul  went 
down  the  mountain  again,  continued  his  march,  and 
we  went  to  bed  at  Yorde,  where  he  was  to  pass  the 
niffht.  The  brave  General  Lannes,  who  commanded 
the  vanguard,  acted  after  a  fashion  as  our  quarter- 
master, seizing  by  main  force  every  place  that  barred 
the  road.  It  was  only  a  few  hours  after  he  had 
forced  his  wa}'^  into  Yorde  that  we  entered  it. 

Such  was  this  miraculous  passage  of  Mont  Saint- 
Bernard.  Horses,  cannons,  artillery  wagons,  im- 
mense stores,  were  all  dragged  or  carried  over  glaciers 
which  seemed  inaccessible,  and  by  roads  apparently 
impracticable  even  for  a  single  man.  The  Austrian 
cannons  succeeded  no  better  than  the  snow  and  ice 
in  arresting  the  French  army ;  so  true  it  is  that  the 
genius  and  perseverance  of  the  First  Consul  had 
communicated  themselves,  so  to  say,  even  to  the 
least  of  his  soldiers,  and  inspired  them  with  a  cour- 
age and  force  the  results  of  which  will  one  day  seem 
fabulous. 

June  2,  which  was  the  morrow  of  the  passage  of 
the  Tessin,  and  the  very  day  of  our  entrance  into 
Milan,  the  First  Consul  learned  that  the  Fort  of 
Bard  had  been  taken  the  day  previous.  Hence  his 
arrangement  of  troops  had  promptly  produced  its 
effect,  and  the  route  of  communication  by  way  of 
the  Saint-Bernard  was  cleared. 

The  First   Consul  entered  Milan  without  having 


60  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

encountered  much  resistance.  The  whole  population 
had  thronged  about  his  passage  and  he  was  received 
with  a  thousand  acclamations.  The  confidence  of 
the  Milanese  was  redoubled  when  they  learned  that 
he  had  promised  the  assembled  clergy  to  maintain 
the  Catholic  worship  and  clergy  as  they  were  estab- 
lished, and  had  made  them  take  an  oath  of  fealty  to 
the  Cisalpine  Republic. 

The  First  Consul  remained  some  days  in  this  capi- 
tal, and  I  had  time  to  cement  a  more  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  my  colleagues.  They  were,  as  I 
have  said,  MM.  Hambart,  Roustan,  and  Hubert.  We 
relieved  each  other  every  twenty -four  hours  at  noon 
precisely.  My  first  care,  as  it  has  always  been  when 
I  have  had  to  live  with  new  faces,  was  to  observe,  as 
closely  as  I  could,  the  character  and  temper  of  my 
comrades,  so  as  to  draw  conclusions  from  them  which 
would  afterwards  regulate  my  conduct  where  they 
were  concerned,  and  to  know  in  advance  pretty  much 
what  I  might  have  to  hope  or  to  fear  from  their 
acquaintance. 

Hambart  had  an  unlimited  devotion  to  the  First 
Consul,  whom  he  had  followed  to  Egypt;  but  he 
unfortunately  had  a  sombre  and  misantliropic  charac- 
ter, which  made  him  extremely  cross  and  disagreeable. 
The  favor  enjoyed  by  Roustan  had  probably  contrib- 
uted not  a  little  toward  augmenting  this  gloomy 
disposition.  In  his  species  of  mania,  he  imagined 
himself  the  object  of  an  altogether  special  surveil- 
lance.    As  soon  as  his  service  was  ended,  he  would 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  61 

shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  and  pass  his  entire 
leisure  in  the  most  doleful  solitude.  When  the 
First  Consul  was  in  good  humor  he  would  joke  him 
about  this  unsociability,  and  laughingly  call  him 
Mademoiselle  Hambart.  "  Well,  Mademoiselle,  what 
are  you  doing  all  alone  this  way  in  your  room  ?  You 
are  reading  some  bad  novels  there,  no  doubt,  some 
worthless  old  books  treating  of  princesses  abducted 
and  held  in  surveillance  by  a  barbarous  giant."  To 
this  poor  Hambart  would  reply  with  a  churlish  air  : 
"  General,  you  doubtless  know  better  than  I  do  wliat 
I  am  doing,"  intending  by  these  words  an  allusion  to 
the  espionage  by  which  he  believed  himself  sur- 
rounded. In  spite  of  this  unhappy  disposition,  the 
First  Consul  was  very  good  to  him.  At  the  time  of 
the  journey  to  tlie  camp  of  Boulogne  he  refused  to 
follow  the  Emperor,  who  retired  him  with  the  post 
of  porter  to  the  palace  of  Meudon.  Here  he  com- 
mitted a  thousand  follies.  His  end  was  lamentable. 
During  the  Hundred  Days,  after  an  audience  with 
the  Emperor,  he  was  seized  with  one  of  his  spells, 
and  threw  himself  with  such  force  on  a  kitchen  knife 
that  the  blade  protruded  two  inches  through  his 
back.  As  it  was  thought  in  those  days  that  I  had 
the  Emperor's  wrath  to  dread,  the  rumor  spread  that 
it  was  I  who  had  committed  suicide,  and  this  tragic 
death  was  announced  as  mine  in  several  journals. 

H<;bert,  valet  de  chamhre  ordinaire,  was  a  very 
gentle  young  man,  but  excessively  timid.  Like  all 
the  rest  of  the  household,  he  had  the  most  devoted 


62  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

affection  for  the  First  Consul.  It  happened  one  day, 
in  Egypt,  that  the  latter,  ayIio  had  never  been  able  to 
shave  himself  (it  was  I,  as  I  shall  relate  hereafter 
with  some  details,  that  taught  him  how  to  do  so), 
called  for  Hubert  in  the  absence  of  Hambart,  who 
usually  shaved  him,  to  perform  that  duty.  As  it 
had  sometimes  happened  to  Hubert,  as  a  result  of 
his  great  timiditj',  to  cut  his  master's  chin,  the  lat- 
ter, who  had  a  pair  of  scissors  in  his  hand,  said  to 
Hebert  as  he  approached,  holding  his  razor :  "  Take 
good  care,  you  rogue ;  if  you  cut  me,  I  will  poke  my 
scissors  into  your  belly."  This  threat,  made  with  an 
air  that  was  almost  serious,  but  wliich  was  really 
nothing  but  a  joke,  such  as  I  have  repeatedly  noticed 
the  Emperor  loved  to  make,  produced  such  an  im- 
pression on  Hebert  that  he  was  unable  to  finish  his 
work.  He  was  seized  with  a  convulsive  trembling, 
his  razor  fell  from  his  hands,  and  it  was  useless  for 
the  Commander-in-Chief  to  stretch  out  his  neck  and 
repeat  with  a  laugh :  "  Come,  finish  then,  you  cow- 
ard I "  Hebert  was  not  only  obliged  to  stop  there, 
but  from  that  time  forward  he  was  obliged  to  relin- 
quish the  office  of  barber.  The  Emperor  disliked 
this  excessive  timidity  in  those  who  served  him ;  but 
that  did  not  prevent  him,  when  he  had  the  chateau 
of  Rambouillet  renovated,  from  giving  the  place  of 
porter  there  to  Hubert,  who  had  asked  for  it. 

Roustan,  so  well  known  under  the  name  of  the 
Emperor's  Mameluke,  belonged  to  a  good  Georgian 
family.     Carried  off  at  the  age  of  six  or  seven  years 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


and  taken  to  Cairo,  lie  had  been  brought  up  among 
the  young  slaves  who  serve  the  Mamelukes  while 
awaiting  the  time  Avhen  they  shall  be  old  enough  to 
enter  that  warlike  militia  themselves.  The  Sheik  of 
Cairo,  when  giving  General  Bonaparte  a  magnificent 
Arabian  steed,  had  also  given  him  Roustan  and 
Ibrahim,  another  Mameluke  who  was  afterwards  at- 
tached to  Madame  Bonaparte's  service  under  the  name 
of  Ali.  It  is  known  that  Roustan  became  an  indispen- 
sable accompaniment  on  every  occasion  when  the 
Emperor  appeared  in  public.  He  was  a  part  of 
every  journey,  every  cortege,  and,  what  was  most 
honorable  of  all,  of  ever}?-  battle.  In  the  brilliant 
staff  which  followed  the  Emperor,  he  shone  above 
all  the  rest  by  the  glitter  of  his  rich  Oriental  cos- 
tume. The  sight  of  him  produced  a  prodigious 
effect,  especially  on  the  common  people  and  in  the 
provinces.  lie  was  supposed  to  be  in  high  credit 
with  the  Emperor,  and  this  arose,  according  to  cer- 
tain credulous  persons,  from  the  fact  that  Roustan 
had  saved  his  master's  life  by  throwing  himself  be- 
tween him  and  the  sabre  of  an  enemy  about  to  strike 
him.  I  believe  that  this  was  an  error.  The  alto- 
gether special  favor  of  which  he  was  the  object  was 
sufficiently  accounted  for  by  the  habitual  kindness 
of  His  Majesty  for  all  those  who  Avere  in  his  service. 
Moreover,  this  favor  did  not  extend  beyond  the  circle 
of  the  domestic  relations.  M.  Roustan  married  a 
young  and  pretty  Frenchwoman,  named  Mademoi- 
selle Douville,  whose  father  was  the  Empress  Jose- 


64  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

phine's  valet  de  chambre.  When,  in  1814  and  1815, 
some  journals  reproached  him  somewhat  because  he 
had  not  followed  to  the  end  the  fortunes  of  him 
to  whom  he  had  always  professed  the  greatest  devo- 
tion, he  replied  that  the  family  ties  he  had  con- 
tracted forbade  his  leaving  France,  and  that  he 
could  do  nothing  to  disturb  the  happiness  he  en- 
joyed in  his  domestic  life. 

Ibrahim  took  the  name  of  Ali  on  passing  into 
Madame  Bonaparte's  service.  He  was  of  a  more 
than  Arabian  ugliness  and  had  a  wicked  glance.  I 
recall  a  little  circumstance  concerning  him  which 
happened  at  Malmaison,  and  may  give  a  notion  of 
his  character.  One  day  when  we  were  playing  on 
the  lawn  of  the  chateau,  I  unintentionally  caused 
him  to  fall,  while  running.  Furious  at  his  tumble, 
he  picked  himself  up,  drew  his  poniard  which  he 
never  laid  aside,  and  sprang  toward  me  to  strike  me 
with  it.  I  had  laughed  at  first,  like  every  one  else, 
at  his  accident,  and  amused  myself  by  making  him 
run.  But  warned  by  the  cries  of  my  comrades,  and 
turning  round  to  see  how  near  he  was,  I  perceived 
at  once  both  his  weapon  and  his  anger.  I  stopped 
instantly,  my  foot  firm  and  my  eye  fixed  on  his 
poniard,  and  I  was  luclcy  enough  to  avoid  the  thrust, 
although  it  just  brushed  against  my  breast.  Furious 
in  my  own  turn,  as  may  be  readily  believed,  I  seized 
him  by  his  wide  trousers  and  threw  him  ten  feet 
away  from  me  into  the  Malmaison  river,  which  was 
barely  two  feet  deep.     The  plunge  quieted  his  senses 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  65 

in  the  first  place,  and,  besides,  his  poniard  had  sunk 
to  the  bottom  of  the  water,  which  rendered  my  man 
much  less  redoubtable.  But  he  began  to  scream  so 
loudly  in  his  disappointment  that  Madame  Bona- 
parte heard  him,  and  as  she  overflowed  with  kind- 
ness for  her  Mameluke,  I  was  roundly  scolded. 
Nevertheless  this  poor  Ali  had  such  an  unsociable 
temper  that  he  quarrelled  with  everj^body  in  the 
house,  and  was  finally  sent  to  Fontainebleau  as 
chateau  messenger. 

I  return  to  our  campaign.  June  13,  the  First 
Consul  slept  at  Torre-di-Galifolo,  where  he  had 
established  his  headquarters.  The  march  of  the 
army  had  not  slackened  since  the  day  we  entered 
Milan.  General  Murat  had  crossed  the  Po  and 
seized  Plaisance.  General  Lannes,  although  pushing 
ahead  with  his  brave  vanguard,  had  delivered  a 
bloody  battle  at  Montebello,  a  name  he  was  after- 
wards to  render  illustrious  by  bearing  it.  The  very 
recent  arrival  of  Desaix,  who  came  from  Egypt, 
overwhelmed  the  Commander-in-Chief  with  joy  and 
also  gave  additional  confidence  to  the  soldiers,  by 
whom  the  brave  and  modest  Desaix  was  adored. 
The  First  Consul  had  received  him  with  the  most 
frank  and  cordial  friendship,  and  they  immediately 
spent  three  consecutive  hours  alone  together.  At 
the  close  of  this  conference  an  order  of  the  day 
announced  to  the  army  that  General  Desaix  would 
take  command  of  the  Boudet  division.  I  heard  several 
persons  belonging  to  the   suite   of   General   Desaix 

VOL.  I.  — F 


66  3rEM0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 

remark  that  his  patience  and  evenness  of  temper  had 
been  put  to  rude  tests  during  his  voyage  by  adverse 
winds,  forced  delays,  the  tediousness  of  quarantine, 
and  especially  by  the  malicious  proceedings  of  the 
English,  who  had  for  some  time  kept  him  prisoner 
on  their  fleet,  in  sight  of  the  coast  of  France,  not- 
withstanding that  he  was  the  bearer  of  a  passport 
signed  in  Egypt  by  the  English  authorities,  as  a 
result  of  a  capitulation  reciprocally  accepted.  His 
resentment  against  them,  therefore,  was  of  the  most 
ardent  sort,  and  he  said  he  keenly  regretted  that  the 
enemies  he  would  have  to  fight  were  not  English. 
In  spite  of  the  simplicity  of  his  tastes  and  habits, 
nobody  was  more  athirst  for  glory  than  this  brave 
General.  All  his  wrath  against  the  English  sprang 
from  the  fear  he  had  that  he  would  not  arrive  in 
time  to  reap  new  laurels.  He  arrived  but  too  soon, 
to  find  a  glorious  death,  but  alas !  one  so  premature ! 
The  celebrated  battle  of  Marengo  was  delivered 
June  14.  It  began  early  and  lasted  all  day.  I 
remained  at  the  quarters,  with  all  the  General's 
household.  We  were  in  a  manner  within  reach  of 
the  cannon  of  the  battle-field,  and  contradictory 
reports  were  all  the  time  arriving.  One  would 
represent  the  battle  as  entirely  lost,  the  next  would 
give  us  the  victory  ;  there  was  a  moment  when  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  our  wounded  and  the 
rcdoublement  of  the  Austrian  firing  would  make  us 
believe  for  an  instant  that  we  were  beaten ;  then  all 
of  a  sudden  some  one  would  come  to   tell  us   that 


MEMOinS  OF  CONSTANT  67 

this  apparent  defeat  was  merely  the  result  of  a  bold 
manoeuvre  of  the  First  Consul,  and  that  a  charge 
made  by  General  Desaix  had  assured  the  winning 
of  the  battle.  But  the  victory  cost  France  and  the 
heart  of  the  First  Consul  dear.  Desaix,  struck  by 
a  ball,  had  fallen  dead  on  the  instant,  and  the  grief 
of  his  men  having  only  exasperated  their  courage, 
they  had  routed  the  enemy  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet,  the  latter  having  been  badly  cut  up  al- 
ready by  a  brilliant  charge  of  General  Kellermann. 

The  First  Consul  slept  on  the  field  of  battle.  In 
spite  of  the  decisive  victory  just  gained,  he  was  full 
of  sadness,  and  in  the  evening,  before  Hambart  and 
me,  he  said  several  things  which  proved  the  profound 
affliction  he  experienced  from  the  death  of  General 
Desaix  :  "  That  France  had  just  lost  one  of  her  best 
defenders  and  he  his  best  friend ;  that  no  one  knew 
all  the  virtue  there  was  in  Desaix's  heart  and  what 
genius  in  his  head."  Thus  he  consoled  himself  for 
his  grief  by  eulogizing  to  everybody  the  hero  who 
had  just  died  on  the  field  of  honor.  "  My  brave 
Desaix,"  he  said  again,  "  had  always  desired  to  die 
like  this."  Then  he  added,  almost  with  tears  in 
his  eyes  :  "  But  need  death  have  been  so  quick  to 
grant  his  prayer !  "  There  was  not  a  soldier  in  our 
victorious  army  who  did  not  share  so  justifiable  an 
affliction.  Rapp  and  Savary,  the  General's  aides-de- 
camp,  remained  in  the  bitterest  despair  beside  the 
body  of  their  chief,  whom,  in  spite  of  his  youth,  they 
called  theii'  father,  more  to  express    his  inexhaust- 


68  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

ible  kindness  toward  them  than  on  account  of  the 
gravity  of  his  character.  As  a  consequence  of  his 
respect  for  his  friend's  memory,  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  although  his  staff  was  complete,  attached 
these  young  officers  to  himself  as  aides-de-camp. 

Commander  Rapp  (that  was  his  rank  then)  was 
at  this  time  what  he  has  been  all  his  life,  good,  full 
of  courage,  and  universally  beloved.  His  frankness, 
though  sometimes  a  little  rude,  was  pleasing  to  the 
Emperor.  I  have  heard  the  latter  eulogize  his  aide- 
de-camp  a  thousand  times  ;  he  always  called  him  mi/ 
brave  Rapp.  This  worthy  General  was  not  lucky  in 
battles,  and  seldom  took  part  in  an  affair  without 
receiving  some  wound.  Since  I  am  already  antici- 
pating the  course  of  events,  I  will  say  here  that  in 
Russia,  on  the  eve  of  the  battle  of  Moscow,  I  heard 
the  Emperor  say  to  General  Rapp,  who  had  arrived 
from  Dantzic :  "  Attention,  my  hero  ;  we  are  going 
to  fight  to-morrow;  look  out  for  yourself,  fortune 
does  not  spoil  you."  "  That  is  one  of  the  perquisites 
of  the  trade,"  replied  the  General.  "  Rely  on  it.  Sire, 
I  will  not  do  less  than  my  best." 

M.  Savary  maintained  toward  the  First  Consul 
that  ardent  zeal  and  boundless  devotion  which  had 
attached  him  to  General  Desaix.  If  he  lacked  any 
one  of  General  Rapp's  qualities,  it  was  certainly 
not  that  of  bravery.  Of  all  the  men  who  surrounded 
the  Emperor,  not  one  was  more  absolutely  devoted 
to  his  slightest  will.  I  shall  doubtless  have  occasion, 
during  the  course  of  these  Memoirs,  to  recall  some 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  69 

traits  of  this  unexampled  devotion,  for  which  the 
Duke  de  Rovigo  was  so  magnificently  rewarded ;  but 
it  is  just  to  say  that  he  at  least  did  not  wound  the 
hand  that  had  elevated  him,  and  that  he  gave  to 
the  very  end,  and  after  the  end  of  his  former  master 
(it  is  thus  that  it  pleased  him  to  style  the  Emperor), 
the  not  very  well  followed  example  of  gratitude. 

A  decree  of  the  government,  in  the  following  June, 
provided  that  the  body  of  Desaix  should  be  trans- 
ported to  the  convent  of  the  great  Saint>Bernard, 
and  a  monument  for  him  raised  there  in  attestation 
of  the  regrets  of  France,  and  especially  of  those  of 
the  First  Consul,  in  a  spot  where  he  had  covered 
himself  with  immortal  glory.^ 


^  Two  monuments  have  been  raised  in  Paris  to  tlie  brave  Desaix : 
a  statue  on  the  Place  des  Victoires  and  a  bust  on  the  Place  Dau- 
phine.  The  statue  affected  a  theatrical  pose  which  scarcely 
accorded  with  the  serious  manners  and  perfect  simplicity  of  him 
whose  image  it  was  supposed  to  reproduce.  Moreover,  being  per- 
fectly nude,  except  as  it  was  badly  veiled  by  a  sword-belt,  it 
shocked  all  eyes  and  provoked  scurrilous  jests.  The  great  victor 
of  Waterloo  was  represented,  during  his  lifetime,  in  Hyde  Park,  as 
an  enormous  Achilles,  and  His  Grace  (at  least  the  statue  of  His 
Grace)  is  executed  in  such  a  manner  that  the  curious  lose  not  a 
single  line,  a  single  muscle  of  his  heroic  person.  That  nothing 
might  be  wanting  to  this  parody,  it  was  the  English  ladies,  so  sus- 
ceptible on  the  point  of  decency  and  dignity,  who  raised  this  monu- 
ment to  My  Lord  Duke. 

To  come  back  to  Desaix  (it  is  to  come  very  far  back),  the  statue 
raised  to  him  on  the  Place  des  Victoires  was  removed  under  the 
Empire  by  order  of  the  government.  As  to  the  bust  which  may 
still  be  seen  on  the  Place  Dauphine,  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine 
anything  more  shabby,  blackened  up,  or  neglected.  That  is  the 
way  that  Desaix's  bust  is  treated.  On  the  other  hand,  Pichegru 
has  statues  of  bronze. 


CHAPTER  V 

Return  to  Milan,  on  march  to  Paris  —  The  Singer  Marches!  and 
the  First  Consul  —  Impertinence  and  several  days  in  prison  — 
Madame  Grassini  —  Entering  France  by  way  of  Mont  Cenis 

—  Triumphal  arches  —  Procession  of  young  girls  —  Entry  of 
Lyons  —  Couthon  and  the  demolishers  —  The  First  Consul 
causes  the  houses  on  the  Place  Belcour  to  he  i-ebuilt  —  The 
overset  carriage  —  Illuminations  at  Paris  —  Kl^ber  —  Calumnies 
against  the  First  Consul  —  Fall  of  Constant's  horse  —  Kindness 
of  the  First  Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  toward  Constant 

—  Generosity  of  the  First  Consul  —  The  author's  emotion — Tlie 
Emperor  outrageously  misunderstood  —  The  First  Consul, 
Jerome  Bonaparte,  and  Colonel  Lacu^e  —  The  First  Consul's 
love  for  Madame  D.  —  Madame  Bonaparte's  jealousy  and  the 
First  Consul's  precautions  —  Indiscreet  curiosity  of  a  chamber- 
maid —  Threats  and  forced  discretion  —  The  small  house  in  the 
All^e  des  Veuves  —  The  First  Consul's  consideration  for  his  wife 

—  The  First  Consul's  morals  and  his  manners  with  women. 

n^HIS  victory  of  Marengo  had  assured  the  conquest 
of  Italy;  hence  the  First  Consul,  judging  his 
presence  more  necessary  in  Paris  than  at  the  head 
of  his  army,  gave  the  chief  command  to  General 
Massdna  and  made  ready  to  recross  the  mountains. 
We  returned  to  Milan,  where  the  First  Consul  was 
received  with  still  more  enthusiasm  than  during  our 
first  visit.  The  establishment  of  a  republic  crowned 
the  wishes  of  the  majority  of  the  Milanese,  and  they 
styled  the  First  Consul  their  saviour  for  having  de- 
livered them  from  the  Austrian  yoke.     Nevertheless 

70 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  71 

there  was  a  party  which  detested  equally  the  changes, 
the  French  army  which  had  been  the  instrument  of 
them,  and  the  young  chief  who  was  their  author. 
In  this  party  figured  a  celebrated  artist,  Marchesi 
the  singer;  when  we  first  went  through,  the  First 
Consul  had  sent  for  him,  and  the  musician  had  begged 
to  be  excused  from  inconveniencing  himself;  he 
finally  came,  but  with  all  the  importance  of  a  man 
who  felt  his  dignity  wounded.  The  very  simple 
costume  of  the  First  Consul,  his  short  figure  and 
his  pale  and  not  very  good-looking  visage,  were  not 
calculated  greatly  to  impress  the  heroes  of  the  theatre. 
Hence  the  Commander-in-Chief  having  received  him 
well  and  very  politely  asked  him  to  sing  an  air, 
he  had  responded  by  this  bad  pun,  delivered  in  an 
impertinent  tone  which  his  Italian  accent  heightened: 
"  Signor  Zeneral,  if  it  is  a  good  air  you  want,  you 
will  find  an  excellent  one  by  taking  a  little  turn  in 
ze  zarden."  For  this  pretty  performance  Signor 
Marchesi  was  instantly  turned  out  of  doors  and 
that  very  evening  an  order  had  been  sent  to  put 
him  into  prison.  On  his  return,  when  the  can- 
nonading of  Marengo  had  doubtless  silenced  his 
resentment  against  Marchesi,  and  when  he  thought, 
moreover,  that  the  artist's  penance  for  a  wretched 
quibble  had  been  long  enough,  the  First  Consul  sent 
for  him  and  again  begged  him  to  sing.  This  time 
Marchesi  was  polite  and  modest,  and  sang  in  an  en- 
chanting manner.  After  the  concert,  the  First  Con- 
sul  applauded   him,   shook   his    hand   warmly,   and 


72  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

complimented  him  in  the  most  affectionate  tone. 
From  that  moment  peace  was  concluded  between  the 
two  powers,  and  Marchesi  did  nothing  but  chant 
the  praises  of  the  First  Consul  thereafter. 

At  this  same  concert,  the  First  Consul  was  struck 
by  the  beauty  of  a  famous  songstress,  Madame 
Grassini.  He  did  not  find  her  cruel,  and  at  the  end 
of  a  few  hours  the  conqueror  of  Italy  counted  an 
additional  conquest.  She  breakfasted  next  morning 
with  the  First  Consul  and  General  Berthier  in  the 
chamber  of  the  former.  General  Berthier  was  com- 
missioned to  provide  for  the  journey  of  Madame 
Grassini,  who  was  sent  to  Paris,  and  attached  to 
the  concerts  of  the  court.  .  .  . 

The  First  Consul  left  Milan  June  24,  and  we 
re-entered  France  by  way  of  Mont  Cenis.  We 
travelled  with  the  greatest  rapidity.  The  First 
Consul  was  received  everywhere  with  an  enthusiasm 
difficult  to  describe.  Triumphal  arches  had  been 
erected  at  the  entrance  of  every  town,  and  in  each 
canton  a  deputation  of  notables  came  to  harangue 
and  compliment  him.  Long  files  of  young  girls, 
dressed  in  white  and  crowned  with  flowers,  with 
flowers  in  their  hands  and  throwing  flowers  into  the 
First  Consul's  carriage,  were  liis  only  escort,  sur- 
rounding, following,  and  preceding  him  until  he  had 
passed,  or,  whenever  he  alighted,  until  he  set  foot  to 
the  ground.  Hence  this  journey  was  throughout  a 
perpetual  festival.  At  Lyons  it  was  a  delirium  :  the 
whole  city  came  out  to  meet  him.     He  entered  it  in 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  78 

the  midst  of  an  immense  crowd  and  the  noisiest  ac- 
clamations, and  alighted  at  the  H6tel  des  Cdlestins. 
During  the  Terror,  and  Avhen  the  Jacobins  had 
wreaked  their  whole  fury  on  the  city  of  Lyons, 
which  they  had  sworn  to  ruin,  the  fine  edifices  which 
ornamented  the  Place  Belcour  had  been  razed  from 
top  to  bottom,  and  the  hideous  cripple  Couthon  had 
been  the  first  to  carry  the  sledge-hammer  thither, 
at  the  head  of  the  vilest  rabble  of  the  clubs.  The 
First  Consul  detested  the  Jacobins,  who,  on  their 
side,  hated  and  feared  him,  and  it  was  his  most 
unceasing  care  to  destroy  their  work,  or,  better,  to 
raise  up  again  the  ruins  with  which  they  had  covered 
France.  He  thought  then,  and  rightly,  that  he  could 
not  better  respond  to  the  affection  of  the  Lj-onnese 
than  by  encouraging  with  all  his  might  the  recon- 
struction of  the  buildings  on  the  Place  Belcour,  and 
he  laid  the  first  stone  himself  before  his  departure. 
The  city  of  Dijon  gave  the  First  Consul  a  reception 
not  less  brilliant. 

Between  Villeneuve  and  Sens,  at  the  descent  of 
the  bridge  of  Montereau,  the  eight  horses  plunged 
forward  at  a  gallop,  dragging  the  carriage  very 
swiftly  (the  First  Consul  already  travelled  in  ro3'al 
style),  and  the  screw  of  one  of  the  front  wheels  came 
out.  The  people  living  along  the  road,  witnessing 
this  accident  and  foreseeing  what  would  be  the  result 
of  it,  shouted  with  all  their  might  to  the  postilions 
to  stop;  but  the  latter  could  not  manage  it.  The 
carriage  was  rudely  overturned.     The  First  Consul 


74  3IEM0IIiS  OF  CONSTANT 

received  no  damage ;  General  Bertliier's  face  was 
somewhat  scratched  by  the  broken  glass  of  the 
windows ;  two  footmen  who  were  on  the  seat  were 
thrown  violently  to  a  distance  and  rather  badly 
bruised.  The  First  Consul  came  out,  or  rather  was 
hauled  out  through  one  of  the  doors ;  however,  this 
accident  did  not  stop  him ;  he  got  at  once  into 
another  carriage  and  reached  Paris  without  any 
further  mishap.  He  alighted  at  the  Tuileries  in  the 
night  of  July  2 ;  and  when  the  news  of  his  return 
had  gone  the  rounds  of  Paris  the  next  day,  the  entire 
population  thronged  the  courts  and  garden.  They 
crowded  beneath  the  windows  of  the  Pavilion  of 
Flora,  hoping  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  saviour  of 
France,  the  liberator  of  Italy.  In  the  evening  there 
was  neither  rich  nor  poor  who  did  not  illuminate  his 
mansion  or  his  garret. 

It  was  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  Paris  that  the 
First  Consul  learned  the  death  of  General  Kl^ber. 
Suleyman's  poniard  had  immolated  this  great  captain 
the  same  day  that  the  cannon  of  ]\Iarengo  brought 
low  another  hero  of  the  army  of  Egypt.  This  assas- 
sination afflicted  the  First  Consul  very  keenly.  I 
witnessed  this  and  can  affirm  it,  and  yet  his  calum- 
niators have  dared  to  say  that  he  rejoiced  at  an  event 
which,  even  to  consider  it  merely  on  its  political  side, 
caused  him  the  loss  of  a  conquest  which  had  cost  him 
so  many  efforts  and  France  so  much  expense  and 
blood.  Other  wretches,  still  more  infamous  and 
stupid,  have  gone  so  far  as  to  imagine  and  to  circulate 


MEMOIIiS  OF  CONSTANT  75 

the  rumor  that  the  First  Consul  had  commanded  the 
assassination  of  his  companion  in  arms,  of  hira  whom 
he  had  put  in  his  own  place  at  the  head  of  the  army 
of  Egypt.  I  know  of  but  one  answer  to  make  to 
such  people,  if  any  answer  is  needed :  it  is  that  they 
never  knew  the  Emperor. 

After  his  return  the  First  Consul  often  went  with 
liis  wife  to  Malmaison,  where  he  sometimes  remained 
for  several  days.  At  this  period  the  valet  on  duty 
followed  the  carriage  on  horseback.  One  day  as  he 
was  going  to  Paris,  the  First  Consul  perceived,  when 
about  a  hundred  paces  from  the  chateau,  that  he  had 
forgotten  his  snuff-box  ;  he  told  me  to  go  and  find  it. 
I  wheeled  and  set  off  at  a  gallop,  and  having  found 
the  snuff-box  on  the  First  Consul's  bureau,  I  set  off 
at  the  same  pace  on  his  track.  I  did  not  come  up  with 
his  carriage  till  we  reached  Ruelle.  But  just  as  I 
was  about  to  do  so,  my  horse's  foot  slipped  on  a 
pebble ;  he  fell  and  threw  me  over  into  a  ditch.  The 
fall  was  severe  ;  I  remained  stretched  out  on  the  spot, 
a  shoulder  dislocated  and  an  arm  badly  bruised.  The 
First  Consul  had  his  horses  stopped  at  once,  gave 
himself  the  orders  necessary  for  taking  me  up,  and 
indicated  the  attentions  which  must  be  given  me 
in  my  condition ;  I  was  carried,  in  his  presence,  to 
the  Ruelle  barracks,  and  before  continuing  his  route 
he  assured  himself  that  I  was  in  no  danger.  The 
family  doctor  was  summoned  to  Ruelle,  where  he 
set  my  shoulder  and  dressed  my  arm.  From  there 
I  was   taken,  as   gently  as   possible,  to    jMalmaison. 


76  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

The  excellent  Madame  Bonaparte  was  so  kind  as  to 
visit  me,  and  had  all  possible  attentions  lavished  on 
me. 

On  the  day  when  I  resumed  my  service,  after  my 
recovery,  I  was  in  the  First  Consul's  antechamber 
just  as  he  was  leaving  his  cabinet.  He  came  up  to 
me  and  asked  with  much  interest  how  I  was.  I 
answered  him  that,  thanks  to  the  care  my  excellent 
masters  had  caused  to  be  given  me,  I  was  completely 
cured.  "  So  much  the  better,"  said  the  First  Consul 
to  me.  "  Constant,  make  haste  to  regain  your  former 
strength.  Continue  to  serve  me  well,  and  I  will 
take  care  of  you.  Here,"  added  he,  putting  three 
little  papers  in  my  hand,  "  this  is  to  replenish  your 
wardrobe  ;  "  and  he  passed  on  without  listening  to 
the  thanks  I  was  addressing  to  him  with  much  emo- 
tion, far  more  for  the  benevolence  and  the  interest 
he  had  deigned  to  display,  than  for  his  present ;  for 
I  did  not  know  in  what  that  consisted.  When  he 
was  gone,  I  unrolled  my  chiffons ;  they  were  three 
bank-notes  of  a  thousand  francs  each !  I  was  affected 
to  tears  by  so  perfect  a  kindness.  It  must  be  remem- 
bered that  at  this  time  the  First  Consul  was  not  rich, 
although  he  was  tlie  first  magistrate  of  the  Republic. 
Hence  the  recollection  of  this  generous  deed  still 
moves  me  profoundly  even  now.  I  do  not  know 
whether  any  one  will  be  interested  by  details  so  per- 
sonal to  me  ;  but  I  think  them  calculated  to  make 
known  the  character  of  the  Emperor,  so  outrageously 
misapprehended,  and  his  habitual  manner  with  the 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  11 

people  of  his  household ;  they  will  at  the  same  time 
afford  grounds  for  a  conclusion  as  to  whether  the 
rigid  economy  he  required  in  his  family,  and  of  which 
I  shall  myself  have  occasion  to  speak  elsewhere,  was, 
as  it  has  been  called,  a  sordid  avarice,  or  not  rather  a 
rule  of  prudence  which  he  willingly  departed  from 
when  urged  to  do  so  by  his  kindness  or  his  humanity. 
I  do  not  know  whether  my  memory  deceives  me  in 
making  me  set  down  here  a  circumstance  that  proves 
the  esteem  the  First  Consul  had  for  the  heroes  of  his 
army,  and  which  he  liked  to  display  to  them  on  every 
occasion.  I  was  in  his  bedroom  one  day,  at  the  usual 
hour  for  his  toilet,  and  was  on  that  day  fulfilling  the 
duties  of  first  valet  de  chambre,  Hambert  being  either 
absent  or  in  some  way  hindered.  There  was  no  one  in 
the  apartment,  apart  from  the  attendants,  except  the 
brave  and  modest  Colonel  Gerard  Lacu^je,  one  of  the 
First  Consul's  aides-de-camp.  M.  J^r6me  Bonaparte, 
then  hardly  seventeen  years  old,  was  introduced. 
This  young  man  was  giving  his  family  frequent  sub- 
jects for  complaint,  and  feared  nobody  but  his  brother 
Napoleon,  who  reprimanded,  preached  to,  and  scolded 
him  as  if  he  had  been  his  son.  There  was  a  question 
at  the  time  of  making  him  a  sailor  less  for  the  sake  of 
a  career  than  to  remove  him  from  the  seductive  temp- 
tations which  the  lofty  fortune  of  his  brother  caused 
to  spring  up  under  his  feet,  and  Avhich  he  was  very 
far  from  resisting.  One  can  understand  that  it  cost 
him  something  to  relinquish  pleasures  so  easy  and  so 
intoxicating  to  a  young  man.     Hence  he  never  failed 


78  3TEM0IRS  OF  CONSTANT 

to  proclaim  his  inaptitude  for  the  naval  service  on 
every  occasion,  going  so  far,  it  was  said,  as  to  allow 
himself  to  be  rejected  by  the  marine  examiners, 
altliough,  with  a  little  study  and  good  will,  it  Avould 
have  been  easy  for  him  to  answer  their  questions. 
However,  the  will  of  the  First  Consul  had  to  be 
obeyed,  and  M.  Jdrome  was  obliged  to  embark. 
On  the  day  I  am  speaking  of,  after  some  minutes  of 
conversation  and  of  grumbling,  always  on  the  subject 
of  the  marine,  M.  J^rOme  said  to  his  brother:  "In- 
stead of  sending  me  to  die  of  ennui  at  sea,  you  ought 
to  take  me  for  aide-de-camp."  "  You  greenliorn  !  " 
his  brother  responded  briskly ;  "  wait  until  a  ball 
shall  have  ploughed  up  your  face,  and  then  we  will 
see  ; "  and  at  the  same  time  he  glanced  toward  Colonel 
Lacu^e,  who  reddened  and  cast  down  his  eyes  like  a 
young  girl.  To  understand  how  flattering  to  hin\i 
this  answer  was,  one  should  know  that  his  face  was 
scarred  by  a  ball.  This  brave  colonel  was  killed 
in  1805,  before  Guntzbourg.  The  Emperor  keenly 
regretted  him.  He  was  one  of  the  most  intrepid, 
most  learned  men  in  the  army. 

It  was,  I  think,  about  this  epoch  that  tlie  First 
Consul   was   smitten    with   a   strong    passion   for   a 

young  lady  full  of  wit  and  grace,  Madame  D . 

Madame  Bonaparte,  suspecting  this  intrigue,  showed 
that  she  was  jealous  of  it,  and  lier  husband  did  all  he 
could  to  allay  the  conjugal  suspicions.  He  waited 
until  everybody  was  asleep  before  going  to  his 
mistress,  and  even  carried  precaution  so  far  as  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  79 

make  the  transit  between  the  two  apartments  in 
night-drawers,  minus  either  shoes  or  stockings.  I 
once  saw  the  day  break  before  lie  returned,  and, 
dreading  scandal,  I  went,  according  to  the  orders 
given  me  by  the  First  Consul  liiniself,  in  case  such 

a  thing  should  happen,  to  warn   Madame  D 's 

waiting-woman,  so  that,  on  her  part,  she  could  go 
and  tell  her  mistress  the  hour.  Hardly  five  minutes 
after  this  prudent  warning  had  been  given,  I  saw 
the  First  Consul  returning  in  considerable  agitation, 
of  which  I  presently  learned  the  cause :  he  had 
caught  sight,  as  he  was  coming  back,  of  one  of 
Madame  Bonaparte's  women,  who  Avas  spying  on 
him  through  the  window  of  a  cabinet  opening  on  the 
corridor,.  The  First  Consul,  after  a  vigorous  out- 
burst against  the  curiosity  of  the  fair  sex,  sent  me 
to  the  young  scout  of  the  enemy's  camp,  to  notify 
her  of  the  order  to  hold  her  tongue  if  she  did  not 
want  to  be  dismissed,  and  not  to  repeat  her  indiscre- 
tion in  future.  I  do  not  know  whether  he  did  not 
add  some  gentler  argument  to  these  terrible  threats, 
in  order  to  hui/  her  silence  ;  but  whether  through  fear 
or  favor,  she  had  the  good  sense  to  keep  quiet. 
Nevertheless  the  successful  lover,  fearing  some  new 
surprise,  ordered  me  to  hire  a  little  house  in  the 

All^e  des  Veuves,  where    he   and    Madame    D 

met  from  time  to  time. 

This  was  the  way  in  which  the  First  Consul 
always  acted  toward  his  wife.  He  Avas  full  of  con- 
sideration for  her,  and  took  every  imaginable  means 


80  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

of  preventing  his  infidelities  from  reaching  her 
knowledge.  Moreover,  these  passing  infidelities  de- 
tracted nothing  from  his  tenderness  for  her,  and 
although  other  women  may  have  inspired  him  with 
love,  none  had  his  confidence  and  friendship  to  the 
same  extent  as  Madame  Bonaparte.  It  is  the  same 
with  the  Emperor's  severity  and  brutality  toward 
women  as  it  is  with  the  thousand  and  one  other 
calumnies  of  which  he  was  the  object.  He  was  not 
always  courtly,  but  no  one  ever  saw  him  coarse, 
and  however  singular  this  observation  may  appear 
after  what  I  have  just  narrated,  he  professed  the 
greatest  veneration  for  a  well-conducted  woman, 
praised  faithful  marriages,  and  did  not  like  inde- 
cency either  in  morals  or  language.  Although  he 
had  several  secret  liaisons,  it  was  not  his  fault 
that  they  were  not  carefully  concealed. 


CHAPTER  VI 

The  infernal  machine  —  The  most  disabled  of  architects  —  The 
happy  chance  —  Precipitation  and  delay  alike  salutary — Hor- 
tense  slightly  wounded  —  Fright  of  Madame  Murat  and  its  con- 
sequences —  Germain  the  coachman  —  How  he  got  the  name  of 
Caesar  —  Inexactitudes  respecting  him — Banquet  oifered  him  by 
five  hundred  cabmen  —  The  author  at  the  Feydeau  during  the 
explosion  —  Alarm  —  Runs  without  a  hat  —  Inflexible  sentinels 
—  The  First  Consul  re-enters  the  Tuileries  —  The  First  Consul's 
remarks  to  Constant  —  The  consular  guard  —  The  First  Con- 
sul's household  placed  under  surveillance  —  Unalterable  fidelity 
— The  Jacobins  innocent  and  the  Royalists  guilty  —  Grand  review 
— Joy  of  soldiers  and  people  —  Universal  peace  —  Public  rejoic- 
ings and  improvised  feasts  —  Reception  of  the  military  corps  and 
of  Lord  Cornwallis  —  Military  luxury  —  The  Begent  diamond. 

rpHE  3d  Nivose,  year  IX.  (December  21,  1800), 
the  Opera  gave,  hy  command^  Haydn's  Creation^ 
and  the  First  Consul  had  announced  that  he  would 
go  with  all  his  family  to  hear  the  magnificent  ora- 
torio. He  dined  that  day  with  Madame  Bonaparte, 
her  daughter,  and  Generals  Rapp,  Lauriston,  Lannes, 
and  Berthier.  I  was  just  then  on  duty ;  but  as  the 
First  Consul  was  going  to  the  Opera,  I  thought  my 
presence  at  the  chateau  would  be  superfluous,  and 
determined  to  go  for  my  own  part  to  the  Feydeau, 
where  ]\Iadame  Bonaparte  provided  us  with  a  box 
situated  beneath  her  own.     After  dinner,  which  the 

VOL.   I.  — G  81 


82  MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT 

First  Consul  expedited  with  his  usual  promptness, 
he  rose  from  table,  followed  by  his  officers,  except- 
ing General  Rapp,  who  remained  with  Mesdames 
Josephine  and  Hortense.  Toward  seven  o'clock  the 
First  Consul  entered  a  carriacre  alons^  with  MM. 
Lannes,  Berthier,  and  Lauriston,  to  go  to  the  Opera ; 
on  reaching  the  middle  of  the  rue  Saint-Nicaise,  the 
outrider  who  preceded  the  carriage  found  the  way- 
obstructed  by  what  seemed  to  be  an  abandoned  cart, 
on  top  of  which  a  cask  was  strongly  attached  by 
cords.  The  head  of  the  escort  had  this  cart  shoved 
alongside  the  houses  on  the  right,  and  the  First 
Consul's  coachman,  who  had  become  impatient  at 
this  brief  delay,  whipped  up  his  horses,  which  started 
off  like  a  flash.  It  was  not  more  than  two  seconds 
after  they  started  when  the  barrel  on  the  cart  ex- 
ploded with  a  frightful  noise.  None  of  the  escort 
and  suite  of  the  First  Consul  were  killed,  but  sev- 
eral received  injuries.  The  fate  of  those  who,  either 
living  in  the  street  or  passing  through  it,  found 
themselves  near  the  horrible  machine  was  much 
more  afflicting;  more  than  twenty  of  them  perished, 
and  more  tlian  sixty  were  grievously  wounded.  M. 
Trepsat,  architect,  had  a  thigli  broken ;  the  First 
Consul  afterwards  decorated  him  and  appointed  him 
architect  of  the  Invalides,  saying  to  him  that  he  had 
long  been  the  most  disabled  of  architects.  All  the 
window  panes  in  the  Tuileries  were  broken  ;  several 
houses  fell  down ;  all  those  on  the  rue  Saint-Nicaise 
and  even  some  on  adjacent  streets  were  badly  dam- 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  83 

aged.i  Some  of  the  debris  flew  as  far  as  the  house 
of  Consul  Cambacdres.  The  windows  of  the  First 
Consul's  carriage  were  broken  in  pieces. 

By  the  luckiest  of  chances,  the  cai-riages  of  the 
suite,  which  were  to  have  been  immediately  behind 
that  of  the  First  Consul,  were  far  enough  behind, 
and  this  is  Avhy:  After  dinner,  Madame  Bonaparte 
had  sent  for  a  shawl  to  wear  to  the  Opera;  when 
it  was  brought.  General  Rapp  gayly  criticised  the 
color  of  it  and  urged  her  to  choose  another.  Madame 
Bonaparte  defended  her  shawl,  and  said  to  the  Gen- 


1  The  prefect  of  police  sent  a  report  to  the  consuls  in  which, 
after  having  recounted  the  details  of  this  frightful  event,  he  gave 
the  list  of  killed  and  wounded.  There  were  eight  of  the  former 
and  twenty -eight  of  the  latter. 

"Forty-six  horses,"  adds  the  report,  "were  extremely  damaged. 

"The  damage  to  real  estate  is  estimated  at  the  sum  of  40,845 
francs. 

"  To  furniture,  at  123,645  francs. 

"The  national  buildings  are  not  comprised  in  this  estimate. 

"The  horse,  the  remains  of  the  vehicle,  and  several  portions  of 
the  casks  were  taken  to  the  prefecture. 

"These  remains  have  been  scrupulously  collected,  A  descrip- 
tion of  the  horse  has  been  drawn  up  with  the  greatest  care." 

M.  Dubois  had  thought  it  his  duty  to  end  his  i-eport  by  a  compli- 
ment to  the  First  Consul,  in  which  there  was,  notwithstanding, 
considerable  truth  ;  viz.,  that  the  attempt  of  the  3d  Nivose  had 
redoubled  the  attachment  of  the  French  to  the  head  of  the  State. 
Here  is  the  last  paragraph  but  one  of  the  report : 

"  From  the  very  first  moment  of  the  explosion  an  inquest  was 
made  on  the  spot.  Declarations  were  received  ;  and  even  amidst 
the  cries  of  anguish  uttered  by  the  wretched  victims  of  the  most 
atrocious  of  outrages,  the  heart  could  still  experience  an  agreeable 
sensation ;  these  unfortunates  forgot  themselves  to  think  only  of 
the  First  Consul ;  it  was  for  him  that  they  demanded  vengeance." 


84  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

eral  that  he  knew  as  much  about  attacking  a  toilet 
as  she  did  about  attacking  a  redoubt.  This  friendly 
discussion  was  carried  on  for  some  time  in  the  same 
tone.  During  this  interval,  the  First  Consul,  who 
never  waited,  started  in  advance,  and  the  miserable 
assassins  who  were  authors  of  the  plot  set  off  their 
infernal  machine.  If  the  First  Consul's  coachman 
had  been  in  less  of  a  hurry,  and  had  delayed  only 
two  seconds  longer,  it  would  have  been  all  up  with 
his  master;  if,  on  the  contrary,  Madame  Bonaparte 
had  made  haste  to  follow  her  husband,  it  would  have 
been  all  over  with  her  and  her  suite ;  it  was,  in  fact 
this  momentary  delay  which  saved  her  life  and  her 
daughter's,  that  of  Madame  Murat,  her  sister-in-law, 
and  those  of  all  who  were  to  accompany  her.  The 
carriage  containing  these  ladies,  instead  of  being  in 
line  with  that  of  the  First  Consul,  had  come  out  on 
the  Place  du  Carrousel  at  the  moment  when  the 
machine  exploded;  its  windows  were  broken  also. 
Madame  Bonaparte  received  nothing  but  a  great 
fright ;  Mademoiselle  Hortense  was  slightly  wounded 
in  the  face  by  a  splinter  of  glass ;  Madame  Caroline 
Murat,  who  was  then  far  advanced  in  pregnancy, 
was  seized  by  such  a  fear  that  they  were  obliged  to 
take  her  back  to  the  chS,teau.  This  catastrophe  had 
a  ofreat  effect  also  on  the  health  of  her  child.  I  have 
been  told  that  Prince  Achille  Murat  is  still  subject 
to  frequent  attacks  of  epilepsy.  It  is  known  that 
the  First  Consul  went  on  to  the  Opera,  where  he  was 
received  with  indescribable  acclamations,  and  where 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  85 

the  calmness  imprinted  on  his  countenance  contrasted 
strongly  with  the  pallor  and  agitation  of  Madame  Bona- 
parte, who  had  trembled,  not  for  herself,  but  for  him. 
The  coachman  who  thus  fortunately  conducted  the 
First  Consul  was  called  Germain  :  he  had  gone  with 
him  to  Egypt,  and  during  an  affray  had  killed  an 
Arab  with  his  own  hands  under  the  eyes  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief,  who,  amazed  at  his  courage, 
had  exclaimed:  "The  devil!  there's  a  hero !  He  is  a 
Csesar ! "  The  name  stuck  to  him.  It  has  been 
pretended  that  this  worthy  man  was  drunk  at  the 
time  of  the  explosion.  That  is  an  error  which  his 
very  address  in  this  circumstance  contradicts  in  a 
positive  manner.  Whenever  the  First  Consul,  after 
becoming  Emperor,  went  out  incognito  in  Paris,  it 
was  Csesar  who  drove  him,  but  never  in  livery.  It 
will  be  found  in  the  Memorial  of  Saint  Helena  that 
the  Emperor,  speaking  of  Csesar,  says  that  he  was  in 
a  state  of  complete  intoxication ;  that  he  took  the 
detonation  for  a  salute  of  artillery,  and  did  not  know 
until  the  next  morning  what  had  happened.  All 
that  is  inexact,  and  the  Emperor  had  been  badly 
informed  with  respect  to  his  coachman.  Csesar 
drove  the  First  Consul  very  fast  because  the  latter 
had  charged  him  to  do  so,  and  because  he  thought, 
for  his  own  part,  that  it  concerned  his  honor  not 
to  be  late  on  account  of  the  obstacle  interposed 
by  the  infernal  machine  before  the  explosion.  I 
saw  Csesar  the  evening  of  the  event,  who  was  per- 
fectly recent^  and  who  related  to   me   some    of   the 


86  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

events  I  have  just  told.  Some  days  afterward,  four 
or  five  hundred  Parisian  hackmen  clubbed  tog-ether 
and  offered  him  a  magnificent  dinner,  at  twenty- 
four  francs  a  head. 

While  the  infernal  conspiracy  was  being  carried 
out  and  costing  the  lives  of  so  great  a  number  of 
innocent  citizens,  yet  without  attaining  the  end  pro- 
posed by  the  assassins,  I  was,  as  I  have  said,  at  the 
Feydeau  theatre,  where  I  was  preparing  to  enjoy  at 
leisure  one  evening's  liberty  and  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing a  play,  a  thing  for  wliich  I  have  all  my  life  had  a 
real  passion.  But  hardly  was  I  squarely  installed  in 
the  box,  when  the  doorkeeper  entered  suddenly  and 
in  the  greatest  disorder:  "Monsieur  Constant," 
cried  she,  "  they  say  the  First  Consul  has  just  been 
blown  up  ;  everybody  has  heard  a  frightful  noise ; 
they  declare  that  he  is  dead."  These  terrible  words 
were  like  a  thunderclap  to  me ;  not  knowing  what 
I  was  about,  and  not  thinking  to  take  my  hat,  I 
ran  like  a  madman  to  the  chateau.  I  saw  no  ex- 
traordinary commotion  while  passing  through  the 
rue  Vinvienne  and  the  Palais-Royal,  but  in  the  rue 
Saint-Honor^  the  tumult  was  extreme.  I  saw  them 
carrying  on  stretchers  some  dead  bodies  and  some 
wounded  who  had  at  first  been  sheltered  in  neigh- 
boring houses  in  the  rue  Saint-Nicaise ;  a  thousand 
groups  had  assembled,  and  were  cursing  with  one 
voice  the  still  unknown  authors  of  this  execrable 
attempt.  Some  were  accusing  the  Jacobins,  who, 
tliree  months  earlier,  had  put  poniards  in  the  hands 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  87 

of  Ceracchi,  Arena,  and  Topino-Lebrun ;  while  others, 
though  not  so  many,  named  the  aristocrats,  the 
Royalists,  as  alone  guilty  of  this  atrocity.  I  lent 
no  further  ear  to  these  various  accusations  than  the 
time  required  to  force  my  way  through  a  dense  and 
enormous  crowd ;  as  soon  as  I  could  I  resumed  my 
course,  and  in  two  seconds  was  at  the  Carrousel.  I 
sprang  toward  the  wicket,  but  at  the  same  moment  the 
two  sentinels  crossed  bayonets  on  my  breast.  It  was 
of  no  use  for  me  to  cry  that  I  was  the  First  Consul's 
valet  de  chambre ;  my  bare  head,  my  distracted  air, 
the  disorder  of  my  whole  person  and  of  my  ideas, 
seemed  suspicious  to  them,  and  they  obstinately  and 
most  energetically  refused  to  let  me  enter.  I  then 
begged  them  to  summon  the  concierge  of  the  chateau  ; 
he  came,  and  I  was  introduced,  or  rather  I  precipi- 
tated myself  into  the  chateau,  where  I  learned  what 
had  just  occurred.  Soon  after,  the  First  Consul  ar- 
rived and  was  at  once  surrounded  by  all  his  officers 
and  his  entire  household ;  there  was  not  a  soul 
present  who  was  not  in  the  greatest  anxiety.  When 
the  First  Consul  alighted  from  the  carriage,  he  seemed 
very  calm  and  was  smiling ;  he  even  seemed  amused. 
On  entering  the  vestibule,  he  said  to  his  officers,  rub- 
bing his  hands :  "  Eh  well !  gentlemen,  we  have  had 
a  fine  escape!"  The  latter  were  shuddering  with 
wrath  and  indignation.  Then  he  entered  the  large 
salon  on  the  ground-floor,  where  a  great  number  of 
councillors  of  state,  and  officials,  were  already  as- 
sembled ;  they  had  barely  commenced  to  offer  him 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


their  congratulations  when  he  began  to  speak,  and  in 
a  tone  so  loud  that  his  voice  could  be  heard  outside 
the  salon.  We  were  told  after  this  council  that  he 
had  had  a  lively  altercation  with  M.  Fouch^,  min- 
ister of  police,  whom  he  had  reproached  with  his 
ignorance  of  this  conspiracy,  and  that  he  had  loudly 
accused  the  Jacobins  of  being  the  authors  of  it. 

When  he  was  going  to  bed  that  evening,  the  First 
Consul  laughingly  asked  me  if  I  had  been  frightened. 
"  More  than  you  were,  General,"  I  answered  ;  and 
I  told  him  how  I  had  learned  the  bad  news  at  the 
Feydeau,  and  how  I  had  run  Avithout  a  hat  to  the 
wicket  of  the  Carrousel,  where  the  sentinels  had  been 
determined  not  to  let  me  enter.  He  was  amused  by 
the  oaths  and  unflattering  epithets  with  which  they 
had  accompanied  their  refusal,  and  ended  by  saying 
to  me  :  "  After  all,  my  dear  Constant,  you  must  bear 
thera  no  ill  will  for  it ;  they  were  only  doing  their 
duty.  They  were  honest  men,  on  whom  I  can  rely." 
The  fact  is  that  the  consular  guard  was  not  less  loyal 
at  this  epoch  than  when  it  afterwards  received  the 
title  of  imperial  guard.  At  the  first  rumor  of  the 
danger  incurred  by  the  First  Consul,  all  the  soldiers 
of  this  faithful  troop  had  spontaneously  assembled  in 
the  court  of  the  Tuileries. 

After  this  fatal  catastrophe,  which  disturbed  all 
France  and  put  so  many  families  in  mourning,  the 
entire  police  force  was  actively  emploj^ed  in  searching 
for  its  authors.  The  household  of  the  First  Consul 
was  at  once  placed  under  surveillance.     We   were 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  89 

incessantly  spied  upon,  without  our  suspecting  it. 
All  our  proceedings,  all  our  visits,  all  our  comings 
and  goings,  were  known ;  and  likewise  our  friends 
and  connections,  and  we  ourselves  were  under  in- 
spection. But  such  was  the  devotion  of  each  and  all 
of  us  to  the  person  of  the  First  Consul,  so  great  was 
the  affection  he  could  inspire  in  those  about  hiin,  that 
not  one  of  those  in  his  service  was  suspected  for  an 
instant  of  being  implicated  in  this  infamous  attempt. 
Neither  then,  nor  in  any  affair  of  the  sort,  were  the 
people  of  his  own  household  ever  compromised,  and 
never  has  the  name  of  the  least  of  the  Emperor's 
servants  been  found  mixed  up  in  criminal  schemes 
against  a  life  so  dear  and  glorious. 

The  minister  of  police  suspected  the  Royalists  of 
this  outrage.  The  First  Consul  accused  nothing  but 
the  conscience  of  the  Jacobins,  heavy  enough  already, 
it  must  be  owned,  with  crimes  as  odious.  One 
hundred  and  thirty  of  these  men,  the  most  prominent 
of  the  party,  were  transported  merely  on  suspicion 
and  without  trial.  It  is  well  known  that  the  dis- 
covery, trial,  and  execution  of  Saint-Regent  and 
Carbon,  the  real  criminals,  proved  that  the  suspic- 
ions of  the  minister  were  better  founded  than  those 
of  the  head  of  the  State. 

The  4th  Nivose,  at  noon,  the  First  Consul  held  a 
grand  review  on  the  Place  du  Carrousel.  An  in- 
numerable crowd  of  citizens  were  assembled  there  to 
see  him  and  testify  their  affection  for  his  person  and 
their  indignation  against  enemies  who  dared  attack 


90  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

him  only  by  assassination.  Hardly  had  he  turned 
his  horse  toward  the  fii"st  line  of  grenadiers  of  the 
consular  guard,  when  the  air  was  rent  with  countless 
shouts.  He  rode  very  slowly  tlirough  all  the  ranks, 
exhibiting  much  feeling,  and  responding  by  several 
simple  and  affectionate  salutes  to  this  outburst  of 
popular  joy.  The  cries  of  "Long  live  Bonaparte! 
Lonsr  live  the  First  Consul !  "  did  not  cease  until 
after  he  had  returned  to  his  apartments. 

The  conspirators  who  persevered  with  such  bitter- 
ness in  their  attempts  on  the  life  of  the  First  Consul, 
could  have  chosen  no  time  more  unfavorable  to  their 
schemes  than  1800  and  1801  ;  for  at  that  period  the 
First  Consul  was  loved  not  only  for  his  great  military 
achievements,  but  also,  and  above  all,  for  the  hopes 
of  peace  that  he  gave  to  France.  These  hopes  were 
speedily  realized.  At  the  first  rumor  that  peace  had 
been  concluded  wdth  Austria,  the  majority  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Paris  assembled  underneath  the  win- 
dows of  the  Pavilion  of  Flora.  Benedictions  and  cries 
of  gratitude  and  joy  resounded  there  ;  then  musicians 
assembled  to  serenade  the  head  of  the  State,  ended 
by  forming  into  orchestras,  and  dancing  was  kept  up 
all  night.  I  have  never  seen  anything  more  singular 
and  joyful  than  this  improvised  festival. 

And  when,  in  October,  the  Peace  of  Amiens  having 
been  concluded  with  England,  France  found  herself 
delivered  from  all  the  wars  she  had  sustained  for  so 
many  years  and  at  the  price  of  so  many  sacrifices,  no 
idea  can  be  formed  of   the  transports  which  broke 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  91 

forth  on  every  side.  The  decrees  ordaining  either 
the  disarmament  of  war  vessels  or  the  reorganization 
of  strongholds  on  a  peace  footing,  were  welcomed  as 
pledges  of  happiness  and  security.  On  the  day  of 
the  reception  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  the  English  am- 
bassador, the  First  Consul  displayed  the  greatest 
pomp.  "  We  must  show  these  haughty  Britons,"  he 
said  the  evening  before,  "  that  we  are  not  reduced 
to  beggary."  The  fact  is  that  the  English,  before 
touching  French  soil,  had  expected  to  find  nothing 
but  ruins,  dearth,  and  poverty  in  all  directions. 
France  had  been  described  to  them  in  the  most 
sombre  colors,  and  they  imagined  themselves  about 
to  land  in  Barbary.  Their  surprise  was  extreme 
when  they  saw  how  many  evils  the  First  Consul  had 
repaired  in  so  short  a  time,  and  the  improvements  he 
still  proposed  to  make.  They  spread  the  news  in 
their  own  country  of  what  they  called  the  First  Con- 
sul's prodigies,  and  thousands  of  their  compatriots 
hastened  over  to  see  and  judge  them  with  their  own 
eyes.  At  the  moment  when  Lord  Cornwallis  entered 
the  hall  of  ambassadors  with  his  suite,  these  English- 
men must  have  been  struck  by  the  aspect  of  the  First 
Consul,  surrounded  by  his  two  colleagues,  the  entire 
diplomatic  corps,  and  an  already  brilliant  military 
court.  Amidst  all  tliese  rich  uniforms  his  own  was 
remarkable  for  its  simplicity  ;  but  the  diamond  called 
the  Regent,  which  had  been  pawned  b}-  the  Directory, 
and  redeemed  within  a  few  days  by  the  First  Consul, 
glittered  in  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  King  of  Etniria  —  Madame  de  Montesson  —  The  monarch  not 
industrious  —  Conversation  about  him  between  the  Fii'st  and 
Second  Consuls  —  A  joke  about  the  return  of  the  Bourbons  — 
Intelligence  and  conversation  of  Don  Louis  —  Singular  traits  of 
economy  —  A  present  worth  a  hundred  thousand  ecus  and  a 
royal  gratuity  of  six  francs — The  severity  of  Don  Louis  toward 
his  attendants  —  Hauteur  towards  a  diplomat,  and  disgust  for 
serious  occupations  —  The  King  of  Etruria  installed  by  the 
future  King  of  Naples  —  The  Queen  of  Etruria — Her  lack  of 
taste  in  dress  —  Her  good  sense  —  Her  kindness  —  Her  fidelity 
in  the  fulfilment  of  her  duties  —  INIagnificent  fetes  at  the  house 
of  M.  de  Talleyrand  —  At  the  house  of  Madame  de  Montesson 
—  At  that  of  the  minister  of  the  interior  on  the  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  Marengo  —  Departure  of  Their  Majesties. 

XN  May,  1801,  the  Prince  of  Tuscany,  Don  Louis  I., 
-^  whom  the  First  Consul  had  just  made  King  of 
Etruria,  arrived  in  Paris  to  go  from  there  into  his 
new  kingdom.  He  travelled  under  the  name  of  the 
Count  of  Leghorn,  with  his  wife,  the  Infanta  of 
Spain,  Marie  Louise,  third  daughter  of  Charles  IV. 
Notwithstanding  the  incognito  he  seemed  to  wish 
to  maintain,  judging  from  the  modest  title  he  had 
assumed,  possibly  on  account  of  the  insignificant 
appearance  of  his  little  court,  he  was  received  and 
treated  at  the  Tuileries  in  kingly  style.  This  prince 
Avas  in  rather  bad  health  and  suffered,  so  they  said, 

92 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  93 

from  epilepsy.  He  had  been  lodged  at  the  hotel  of 
the  Spanish  Embassy,  formerly  the  hotel  Montesson, 
and  he  had  begged  Madame  de  Montesson,  who  lived 
next  door,  to  allow  him  to  restore  a  way  of  com- 
munication long  since  closed  up.  He  took  great 
pleasure,  as  the  Queen  of  Etruria  did  also,  in  the 
company  of  this  lady,  the  widow  of  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  and  spent  several  consecutive  hours  there 
almost  every  da3^  A  Bourbon  himself,  he  doubtless 
liked  to  hear  all  the  details  that  could  be  given  him 
by  a  person  who  had  lived  at  their  court  and  in  the 
intimacy  of  their  family,  to  which  she  belonged  her- 
self by  ties  which  were  none  the  less  legitimate  and 
avowed  for  being  officially  unrecognized.  Madame 
de  Montesson  received  at  her  house  all  the  most  dis- 
tinguished people  in  Paris.  She  had  reunited  the  re- 
mains of  social  circles  formerly  most  sought  after, 
and  which  the  Revolution  had  dispersed.  A  friend 
of  jNIadame  Bonaparte,  she  was  liked  and  venerated 
by  the  First  Consul,  who  desired  that  people  should 
think  and  speak  well  of  him  in  the  most  noble  and 
most  elegant  salon  of  the  capital.  Moreover,  he 
relied  on  the  souvenirs  and  the  exquisite  tone  of 
this  lady  to  establish  in  his  own  palace  and  society, 
of  which  he  already  dreamed  of  making  a  courts  the 
usages  and  etiquette  practised  in  those  of  sovereigns. 
The  King  of  Etruria  was  not  a  great  worker,  and, 
in  this  respect,  he  did  not  greatly  please  the  First 
Consul,  who  could  not  endure  idleness.  I  heard 
him   one    day,  in   conversation    with   his  colleague, 


94  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

M.  Cambacdres,  treat  liis  royal  protege  (absent,  as 
there  is  no  need  to  say)  very  severely.  "  There 
is  a  good  prince,"  said  he,  "  who  does  not  concern 
himself  much  about  his  very  dear  and  beloved  sub- 
jects. He  spends  his  time  cackling  with  old  women, 
to  whom  he  says  aloud  a  great  many  good  things 
about  me,  while  he  grumbles  in  an  undertone  at 
having  to  owe  his  elevation  to  the  head  of  this 
cursed  French  Republic.  That  fellow  occupies  him- 
self with  nothing  but  promenades,  hunting,  balls, 
and  plays."  "  They  say,"  observed  M.  Cambaceres, 
"  that  you  intended  to  disgust  the  French  with  kings 
by  showing  them  such  a  specimen,  just  as  the  Spar- 
tans disgusted  their  children  with  drunkenness  by 
making  them  see  a  slave  drunk."  —  "  Not  at  all,  not 
at  all,  my  dear  fellow,"  returned  the  First  Consul; 
"I  am  not  anxious  to  disgust  them  with  royalty; 
but  the  sojourn  of  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Etruria 
will  dissatisfy  that  considerable  number  of  worthy 
people  who  are  laboring  to  revive  the  taste  for  the 
Bourbons." 

Don  Louis  did  not  deserve,  perhaps,  to  be  treated 
so  severely,  though,  it  must  be  owned,  he  was  en- 
dowed with  very  little  wit  and  still  less  charm. 
When  he  dined  at  the  Tuileries  he  could  not  answer 
the  simplest  questions  put  to  him  by  tlie  First  Con- 
sul without  embarrassment ;  beyond  rain  and  fine 
weather,  horses,  dogs,  and  other  subjects  of  equal 
importance,  there  was  nothing  to  which  he  could 
give  a  satisfactory  response.     The  Queen,  his  wife, 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  95 

often  made  signs  to  put  him  on  the  right  track,  and 
even  whispered  to  him  what  he  ought  to  do  or  say ; 
but  that  only  made  his  absolute  lack  of  presence  of 
mind  more  shocking.  People  in  general  made  a 
good  deal  of  fun  at  his  expense,  but  they  took  care, 
however,  not  to  do  it  in  the  presence  of  the  First 
Consul,  who  would  not  have  suffered  a  failure  in 
respect  toward  a  guest  to  whom  he  himself  showed 
much. 

During  his  stay  the  First  Consul  sent  him  several 
times  some  magnificent  presents,  Savonnerie  carpets, 
Lyons  stuffs,  Sevres  porcelains.  On  such  occasions. 
His  Majesty  refused  nothing,  unless  it  were  to  give 
some  trifling  gratuity  to  the  bearers  of  all  these 
precious  objects.  Gne  day  they  brought  him  a  vase 
of  the  greatest  value  (it  cost,  I  think,  a  hundred 
thousand  ecus);  it  took  a  dozen  workmen  to  place 
it  in  the  King's  apartment.  Their  work  finished,  tlie 
men  were  waiting  for  His  Majesty  to  testify  to  them 
his  satisfaction,  and  flattered  themselves  on  beholding 
him  display  a  truly  royal  generosity.  However,  time 
slipped  by  and  they  did  not  see  the  hoped-for  recom- 
pense arriving.  At  last  they  addressed  themselves 
to  one  of  the  chamberlains,  and  begged  him  to  lay 
their  just  claims  before  the  King  of  Etruria.  His 
Majesty,  who  was  still  in  ecstasies  over  the  beauty  of 
the  gift  and  the  munificence  of  the  First  Consul, 
could  not  have  been  more  surprised  than  he  was  at 
such  a  demand.  This  was  a  present ;  then  what  he 
had  to  do  was  to  receive,  not  to  give.     It  was  only 


96  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

after  a  good  deal  of  urging  that  the  chamberlain 
obtained  for  each  of  these  workmen  an  ^cu  of  six 
francs,  which  the  good  fellows  refused. 

The  members  of  the  Prince's  suite  claimed  that  to 
this  exaggerated  aversion  to  expense,  he  joined  an 
extreme  severity  toward  them.  However,  the  first 
of  these  two  dispositions  probably  induced  the  atten- 
dants of  the  King  of  Etruria  to  exaggerate  the  second. 
Masters  who  are  much  too  economical  never  fail  to  be 
adjudged  severe,  and  at  the  same  time  to  be  severely 
judged  by  their  servants.  It  is  perhaps  (be  it  said 
in  passing)  on  account  of  judgments  of  this  nature 
that  certain  persons  have  credited  the  calumnious  re- 
port which  represented  the  Emperor  as  often  inclined 
to  thrash  people ;  and  yet  the  economy  of  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  was  nothing  but  a  love  of  the  most  perfect 
order  in  his  household  expenses.  What  is  certain 
about  the  King  of  Etruria  is  that  he  did  not  really 
feel  either  all  the  enthusiasm  or  all  the  gratitude 
that  he  professed  for  the  First  Consul.  The  latter 
had  more  than  one  proof  of  this;  so  much  for  his 
sincerity.  As  for  his  talent  for  governing  and  reign- 
ing, the  First  Consul  said  on  rising  to  M.  Cambac^res, 
in  the  same  interview  of  which  I  just  now  recounted 
a  few  words,  that  the  Spanish  ambassador  complained 
of  the  haughtiness  of  the  Prince  towards  him,  of  his 
complete  ignorance,  and  of  the  disgust  with  which 
every  sort  of  serious  occupation  inspired  him.  Such 
was  the  king  who  was  to  govern  a  part  of  Italy.  It 
was  General  Murat  who  installed  him  in  his  king- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  97 

dom,  without  suspecting,  according  to  all  appearance, 
that  a  throne  was  reserved  for  him  also,  within  a  few 
leagues  of  that  on  which  he  had  just  seated  Don 
Louis. 

The  Queen  of  Etruria  was,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
First  Consul,  much  better  and  more  prudent  than 
her  august  spouse.  This  princess  shone  neither  by 
grace  nor  elegance  ;  she  had  herself  dressed  in  the 
morning  for  the  whole  day,  and  promenaded  in  the 
garden  with  a  diadem,  or  flowers  on  her  head,  and  in 
a  robe  with  a  train  that  swept  the  sand  of  the  alleys. 
More  often  than  not  she  carried  in  her  arms  one  of 
her  children  still  in  swaddling-clothes  and  subject 
to  all  the  inconveniences  of  such  a  baby.  One  can 
understand  that  by  evening  Her  Majesty's  toilet 
was  somewhat  in  disorder.  Besides,  she  was  far  from 
being  pretty,  and  had  not  the  manners  befitting  her 
rank.  But,  Avhich  certainly  more  than  compensated 
for  all  this,  she  was  very  good,  very  much  loved  by 
her  attendants,  and  fulfilled  scrupulously  all  her 
duties  as  wife  and  mother ;  hence  the  First  Consul, 
who  esteemed  the  domestic  virtues  so  highly,  pro- 
fessed the  highest  and  most  sincere  esteem  for  her. 

There  was  a  constant  succession  of  fetes  during 
the  whole  month  that  Their  INIajesties  stayed  in  Paris. 
M.  de  Talleyrand  offered  them  one  at  Neuilly  of 
admirable  opulence  and  splendor.  I  was  on  duty, 
and  I  attended  the  First  Consul  there.  The  chateau 
and  the  park  were  illuminated  by  a  brilliant  pro- 
fusion of  colored   o-lass.     There   was    a   concert    in 


98  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

the  first  place,  at  tlie  end  of  which  the  back  of  the 
hall  was  lifted  like  the  curtain  at  a  theatre,  and  dis- 
played the  principal  place  in  Florence,  the  ducal 
palace,  a  fountain  of  gushing  water,  and  the  Tuscans 
indulging  in  the  games  and  dances  of  their  country 
and  chanting  couplets  in  honor  of  their  sovereigns. 
M.  de  Talleyrand  came  to  beg  Their  ]\Iajesties 
to  deign  to  mingle  with  their  subjects ;  and  they 
had  hardly  set  foot  in  the  garden  when  tliey  found 
themselves  as  it  were  in  fairyland :  luminous  bombs, 
rockets,  Bengal  lights,  went  off  in  every  direction 
and  in  every  form;  colonnades,  triumphal  arches, 
and  flaming  palaces  rose,  were  eclipsed,  and  suc- 
ceeded each  other  without  a  break.  Several  tables 
were  laid  in  the  apartments  and  in  the  gardens,  and 
all  the  spectators  were  able  to  seat  themselves  in 
succession.  Finally  a  magnificent  ball  worthily 
crowned  this  evening  of  enchantments ;  it  was  opened 
by  tlie  King  of  Etruria  and  Madame  Leclerc  (Pauline 
Borghese). 

Madame  de  Montesson  also  offered  Their  Majesties 
a  ball,  at  which  all  the  family  of  the  First  Consul 
were  present.  But  of  all  these  diversions,  that  which 
I  have  remembered  best  is  the  truly  marvellous  soirde 
given  by  M.  Chaptal,  minister  of  the  interior.  The 
day  he  selected  was  the  14th  of  June,  anniversary  of 
the  battle  of  Marengo.  After  the  concert,  the  play, 
the  ball,  a  new  representation  of  the  city  and  the  in- 
habitants of  Florence,  a  splendid  supper  was  served 
in  the  garden,  under  military  tents,  decorated  with 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  99 

flags,  sheaves  of  arms,  and  trophies.  Each  lady  was 
accompanied  and  served  at  table  by  an  officer  in  uni- 
form. When  the  King  and  Queen  of  Etruria  came 
out  of  their  tent  a  balloon  was  sent  up,  which  carried 
into  the  air  the  name  of  Marengo  in  letters  of  fire. 

Their  Majesties  wished  to  visit  the  principal  public 
establishments  before  departing.  They  went  to  the 
Conservatory,  to  a  session  of  the  Institute,  where  they 
looked  as  if  they  comprehended  very  little,  and  to 
the  Mint,  where  a  medal  was  struck  in  their  honor. 
M.  Chaptal  received  the  thanks  of  the  Queen  for  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  received  and  treated  the 
noble  guests,  as  a  savant  of  the  Institute,  as  a  minister 
in  his  own  house,  and  in  the  visits  they  had  made  to 
the  different  establishments  of  the  capital.  The  day 
before  his  departure,  the  King  had  a  long  secret  inter- 
view with  the  First  Consul.  I  do  not  know  what 
took  place ;  but  neither  of  them  looked  satisfied  on 
coming  out  of  it.  Nevertheless  Their  Majesties 
must,  on  the  whole,  have  carried  away  with  them 
the  most  favorable  idea  of  the  reception  accorded 
them. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A  madman's  passion  for  Mademoiselle  Hortense  —  Marriage  of  M. 
Louis  Bonaparte  and  Hortense  —  Vexations  —  Cliaracter  of  M. 
Louis  —  Atrocious  calumny  against  the  Emperor  and  his  step- 
daughter —  Inclination  of  Hortense  before  her  marriage  — 
General  Duroc  marries  Mademoiselle  Hervas  d'  Alm^nara  — 
Portrait  of  this  lady  —  The  broken  piano  and  the  smashed  watch 
—  Marriage  and  sadness  —  Misfortunes  of  Hortense  before, 
during,  and  after  her  grandeurs  —  The  First  Consul's  journey 
to  Lyons  —  Fetes  and  felicitations  —  Soldiers  of  the  army  of 
Egypt  —  The  Pope's  legate — The  deputies  of  the  council  — 
Death  of  the  Archbishop  of  Milan  —  Occasional  verses  —  Poets 
of  the  Empire  —  The  First  Consul  and  his  writing  master  — 
M.  I'Abb^  Dupuis,  librarian  of  Malmaison. 

"TN  all  the  fetes  offered  by  the  First  Consul  to 
Their  Majesties,  the  King  and  Queen  of  Etruria, 
Mademoiselle  Hortense  had  shone  with  that  sj^lendor 
of  youth  and  grace  which  made  her  the  pride  of  her 
mother  and  the  most  beautiful  ornament  of  the  bud- 
ding court  of  the  First  Consul. 

About  this  time  she  inspired  the  most  violent  pas- 
sion in  a  gentleman  of  very  good  family,  but  whose 
brain  was  already,  I  think,  somewhat  deranged  before 
he  took  this  foolish  love  into  his  head.  This  unfortu- 
nate incessantly  prowled  about  Malmaison ;  and  as 
soon  as  Mademoiselle  came  out,  he  would  run  to  the 
side  of  the  carriage  and,  with  the  liveliest  demonstra- 

100 


MEMOIIiS  OF  CONSTANT  101 

tions  of  affection,  throw  flowers,  locks  of  his  hair, 
and  verses  of  his  composition  in  through  the  door. 
Whenever  he  met  Mademoiselle  on  foot,  he  would 
throw  himself  on  his  knees  before  her  with  a  thou- 
sand passionate  gestures,  and  call  her  by  the  most 
touching  names.  In  spite  of  everybody,  he  followed 
her  even  into  the  court  of  the  chateau,  and  gave  him- 
self up  to  all  his  folly.  At  first,  Mademoiselle,  being 
young  and  gay,  amused  herself  with  the  affectations 
of  her  adorer.  She  read  the  verses  he  sent  her,  and 
gave  them  to  the  ladies  who  accompanied  to  read 
also.  Such  poetry  was  calculated  to  produce  laughter ; 
hence  she  found  no  fault  with  it  at  first ;  but  after 
these  first  transports  of  gaiety,  Mademoiselle  Hor- 
tense,  who,  like  her  mother,  was  good  and  charm- 
ing, never  failed  to  say,  with  a  compassionate  look 
and  accent:  "That  poor  man  is  very  much  to  be 
pitied!"  In  the  end,  however,  the  importunities  of 
this  wretched  madman  multiplied  so  that  they  became 
insupportable.  In  Paris  he  would  stand  at  the  door 
of  the  theatres  whenever  Mademoiselle  Hortense  was 
to  go  there,  and  prostrate  himself  at  her  feet,  suppli- 
cating, weeping,  laughing,  and  gesticulating  all  at 
once.  This  spectacle  amused  the  crowd  too  much  to 
continue  to  amuse  Mademoiselle  de  Beauharnais  any 
longer ;  Carrat  was  ordered  to  get  rid  of  the  unfortu- 
nate man,  who  was,  I  think,  placed  in  an  asylum. 

Mademoiselle  would  have  been  only  too  happy  if 
she  had  never  known  love  except  through  the  bur- 
lesque effects  it  produced  in  a  deranged  brain.     In 


102  MEMOinS   OF  CONSTANT 

that  case  she  would  have  seen  it  only  on  its  comic 
and  amusing  side.  But  the  moment  came  when  she 
had  to  feel  all  the  sorrow  and  bitterness  there  is  in  the 
disappointments  of  this  passion.  In  January,  1802, 
she  was  married  to  M.  Louis  Bonaparte,  brother  of 
the  First  Consul.  This  alliance  was  suitable  as  far 
as  age  was  concerned.  M.  Louis  was  hardly  twenty- 
four,  and  Mademoiselle  de  Beauharnais  not  more 
than  eighteen ;  and  yet  it  was  the  source  of  long  and 
interminable  vexations  to  both  of  them.  M.  Louis 
was,  however,  good  and  sensible,  full  of  benevolence 
and  wit,  studious  and  a  friend  of  letters,  like  all  his 
brothers  except  one ;  but  his  health  was  poor,  he 
was  ill  almost  constantly,  and  had  a  melancholy 
disposition.  All  of  the  First  Consul's  brothers  re- 
sembled him  more  or  less,  and  M.  Louis  more  than 
the  others,  especially  in  the  days  of  the  consulate, 
and  before  the  Emperor  Napoleon  grew  fat.  At  the 
same  time,  not  one  of  his  brothers  had  that  incisive 
and  imposing  glance,  and  that  rapid  and  imperious 
gesture  which  came  to  him  at  first  by  instinct  and 
afterwards  through  the  habit  of  command.  M.  Louis 
had  peaceful  and  modest  tastes.  It  has  been  claimed 
that  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  he  had  a  keen  at- 
tachment for  a  person  whose  name  could  not  be 
discovered  and  is,  I  believe,  a  mystery  still.  Mad- 
emoiselle Hortense  was  extremely  pretty,  with  a 
charming  and  mobile  countenance.  Moreover,  she 
was  full  of  grace,  talents,  and  affability ;  benevolent 
and  lovable  like  her  mother,  she  had  not  tliat  exces- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  103 


sive  facility,  or,  better,  that  feebleness  of  character 
which  sometimes  detracted  from  Madame  Bonaparte. 
Yet  this  is  the  woman  whom  the  evil  rumors  spread 
abroad  by  wretched  libellers  have  so  outrageously 
calumniated  !  One's  gorge  rises  with  disgust  and  in- 
dignation when  such  revolting  absurdities  are  told 
and  repeated.  If  these  worthy  fabricators  are  to  be 
believed,  the  First  Consul  must  have  seduced  his 
wife's  daughter  before  giving  her  in  marriage  to  his 
own  brother.  One  has  only  to  put  such  a  thing  into 
words  to  make  its  falsity  comprehended.  I  know 
the  love  affairs  of  the  Emperor  better  than  anybody; 
in  that  sort  of  clandestine  connections  he  dreaded 
scandal  and  hated  the  boastings  of  vice,  and  I  can 
affirm  on  my  honor  that  the  infamous  desires  which 
have  been  attributed  to  him  never  germinated  in  his 
heart.  Like  all  those,  and  even  better  than  all  those 
who  approached  Mademoiselle  de  Beauharnais,  be- 
cause he  knew  his  stepdaughter  more  intimately,  he 
had  the  tenderest  affection  for  her;  but  this  senti- 
ment was  entirely  paternal,  and  Mademoiselle  re- 
sponded to  it  with  that  respectful  fear  which  a 
well-bred  girl  experiences  in  the  presence  of  her 
father.  She  could  have  obtained  all  she  desired 
from  her  stepfather  if  extreme  timidity  had  not  pre- 
vented her  from  asking ;  but,  instead  of  address- 
ing herself  directly  to  him,  she  would  in  the  first 
place  have  recourse  to  the  secretary  and  attend- 
ants of  the  Emperor.  Would  she  have  acted  in 
this  way  if  the  evil   rumors  scattered  by  her  ene- 


104  MEMOIRS    OF  CONSTANT 

mies  and  those    of   the  Emperor  had  had  the  least 
foundation  ? 

Before  this  marriage  Mademoiselle  had  an  inclina- 
tion for  General  Duroc.  He  was  barely  thirty,  well 
made,  and  a  favorite  of  the  head  of  the  State,  who, 
knowing  him  to  be  prudent  and  reserved,  had  en- 
trusted several  important  missions  to  him.  An  aide- 
de-camp  of  the  First  Consul,  a  general  of  division,  and 
governor  of  the  Tuileries,  he  had  long  been  living  in 
intimate  familiarity  with  Malmaison  and  the  home 
of  the  First  Consul.  During  his  obligatory  absences 
he  kept  up  a  regular  correspondence  with  Mademoi- 
selle Hortense,  and  yet  the  indifference  with  which 
he  allowed  her  marriage  with  M.  Louis  proves  that 
he  shared  but  feebly  in  the  affection  which  he  had 
inspired.  It  is  certain  that  he  might  have  had  Mad- 
emoiselle de  Beauharnais  for  his  wife  if  he  had 
been  willing  to  accept  the  terms  on  which  the  First 
Consul  offered  him  his  stepdaughter's  hand.  But  he 
expected  something  better,  and  his  usual  prudence 
failed  at  the  moment  when  it  might  have  shown  him 
a  future  easy  to  foresee,  and  calculated  to  crown  the 
wishes  of  an  ambition  more  exalted  than  his  own. 
Hence  he  flatly  refused,  and  the  entreaties  of 
Madame  Bonaparte,  which  had  already  shaken  her 
husband,  took  decidedly  the  upper  hand.  Madame 
Bonaparte,  who  found  herself  not  treated  in  a  very 
friendly  manner  by  the  brothers  of  the  First  Consul, 
sought  to  create  a.  support  for  herself  in  this  family 
against  the  troubles  constantly  accumulated  around 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  105 

her  by  tliose  who  sought  to  deprive  her  of  her  hus- 
band's affection.  It  was  with  this  end  in  view  that 
she  did  all  she  could  to  bring  about  a  marriage  be- 
tween her  daughter  and  one  of  her  brothers-in-law. 

General  Duroc  probably  repented  in  the  end  of  the 
precipitancy  of  his  refusal  when  crowns  began  to 
rain  into  the  august  family  with  which  he  might 
have  allied  himself;  when  he  saw  Naples,  Spain, 
Westphalia,  Upper  Italy,  the  duchies  of  Parma, 
Lucca,  etc.,  becoming  the  appanages  of  the  new  im- 
perial dynasty ;  when  the  beautiful  and  gracious  Hor- 
tense  herself,  who  had  loved  him  so  much,  ascended 
the  throne  which  she  would  have  been  so  happy  to 
share  with  the  object  of  her  hrst  affections.  As  for 
him,  he  married  Mademoiselle  Hervas  d'Alm^nara, 
daughter  of  the  banker  of  the  court  of  Spain,  a  little 
woman,  very  brown,  very  thin,  and  not  very  grace- 
ful ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  of  the  most  vixenish, 
haughtiest,  most  exacting  and  capricious  temper. 
As  she  was  to  have  an  enormous  dowry  in  marriage, 
the  First  Consul  asked  her  hand  for  his  first  aide-de- 
camp. I  have  been  told  that  Madame  Duroc  forgot 
herself  so  far  as  to  beat  her  servants,  and  even  to 
fly  into  the  strangest  passions  with  people  in  nowise 
dependent  on  her.  When  M.  Dubois  came  to  tune 
her  piano,  if  she  was  unfortunately  present,  as  she 
could  not  endure  the  noise  required  by  this  opera- 
tion, she  would  drive  the  tuner  away  with  the  ut- 
most violence.  In  one  of  these  singular  fits,  she 
one  day  broke  all   the  keys  of   her  instrument;   at 


106  MEifOIBS  OF  CONSTANT 

another  time,  M.  Mugnier,  clockmaker  to  the 
Emperor,  and  the  first  artist  in  Paris  of  his  pro- 
fession, with  M.  Br^guet,  having  brought  her  a  very 
costly  watch,  which  had  been  o^^-dered  by  the  Duchess 
de  Frioul  herself,  this  bijou  did  not  please  her,  and 
in  her  rage  she  threw  the  watch  on  the  floor,  began 
to  dance  on  it,  and  broke  it  into  pieces  in  M.  Mugnier's 
presence.  She  would  never  ^^ay  for  it,  and  the  Mar- 
shal was  obliged  to  settle  the  bill  himself.  Thus  the 
mistaken  refusal  of  General  Duroc  and  the  not 
very  disinterested  calculations  of  Madame  Bonaparte 
caused  the  misery  of  two  households. 

For  the  rest,  the  portrait  I  have  just  drawn,  and 
which  I  think  true,  although  not  much  flattered, 
is  simply  that  of  a  young  woman  spoiled  like  an 
only  daughter,  harsh-tempered  like  a  Spaniard,  and 
brought  up  with  that  indulgence  and  even  with  that 
absolute  negligence  which  injures  the  education  of  all 
the  compatriots  of  Mademoiselle  d'Alm^nara.  Time 
has  calmed  this  vivacity  of  youth,  and  Madame  the 
Duchess  de  Frioul  has  since  given  an  example  of  the 
most  tender  devotion  to  all  her  duties,  and  of  a  great 
strength  of  soul  in  the  frightful  misfortunes  she  has 
had  to  endure.  For  the  loss  of  her  liusband,  most 
sorrowful  though  it  was,  glory  had  at  least  some  con- 
solations to  offer  to  the  widow  of  the  grand  marshal. 
But  when  a  young  girl,  sole  heiress  to  a  great  name 
and  an  illustrious  title,  is  suddenly  carried  away  by 
death  from  all  the  liopcs  and  all  the  love  of  her 
mother,  who  would  dare  to  speak  to  her  of  consola- 


MEMOIIiS  OF  CONSTANT  107 

tions  ?  If  there  could  be  any  (which  I  do  not  be- 
lieve), it  must  needs  be  the  remembrance  of  the 
cares  and  tenderness  lavished  to  the  end  by  a  mater- 
nal heart.  This  memory,  the  bitterness  of  which  is 
mingled  with  a  certain  sweetness,  cannot  be  lacking 
to  Madame  the  Duchess  de  Frioul. 

The  religious  ceremony  of  the  marriage  took  place 
January  7,  in  the  house  on  the  rue  de  la  Victoire, 
and  the  marriage  of  General  Murat  with  Mademoiselle 
Caroline  Bonaparte,  which  had  only  been  contracted 
before  the  ofiScer  of  the  civil  law,  was  consecrated 
the  same  day.  The  two  spouses  (M.  Louis  and  his 
wife)  were  very  melancholy:  the  latter  wept  bit- 
terly during  the  ceremony,  and  her  tears  were  not 
stanched  afterward.  She  was  far  from  seeking  her 
husband's  eyes,  and  on  his  side,  he  was  too  proud 
and  too  embittered  to  pursue  her  with  his  attentions. 
The  good  Josephine  did  all  she  could  to  unite  them. 
Feeling  that  this  union  which  commenced  so  badly 
was  her  work,  she  would  have  liked  to  reconcile  her 
own  interest,  or  at  least  what  she  considered  such, 
with  the  happiness  of  her  daughter.  But  her  efforts, 
like  her  advice  and  entreaties,  accomplished  nothing. 
1  have  a  hundred  times  seen  Madame  Louis  Bona- 
parte seek  the  solitude  of  her  own  apartment  and  the 
bosom  of  a  friend  to  shed  her  tears  there.  They  es- 
caped from  her  even  in  the  salon  of  the  First  Consul, 
where  one  sorrowfully  beheld  this  brilliant  and  gay 
young  woman,  who  had  often  done  the  honors  and 
relaxed  the  stiffness  of  etiquette  so  graciously,  now 


108  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

retiring  into  a  corner,  or  into  the  embrasure  of  a 
window,  with  some  person  in  whom  she  trusted,  to 
confide  her  troubles  to  her.  During  this  interview, 
from  which  she  emerged  with  red  and  humid  eyes, 
her  husband  kept  himself,  pensive  and  taciturn,  at 
the  opposite  end  of  the  salon. 

People  have  greatly  censured  the  errors  of  Her 
Majesty  the  Queen  of  Holland,  and  all  that  has  been 
said  or  written  against  this  princess  bears  the  marks 
of  gross  exaggeration.  So  lofty  a  fortune  drew  all 
eyes  upon  her  and  excited  a  jealous  malevolence; 
and  yet  those  who  have  envied  her  would  not  have 
failed  to  pity  themselves  if  they  had  been  put  in  her 
place  on  condition  of  sharing  her  afflictions.  The 
misfortunes  of  Queen  Hortense  began  with  her  life. 
Her  father  dead  on  the  revolutionary  scaffold,  her 
mother  thrown  into  prison,  she  found  herself,  when 
yet  a  child,  isolated  and  without  other  support  than 
the  fidelity  of  the  former  servants  of  the  family.  Her 
brother,  the  noble  and  worthy  Prince  Eugene,  had 
been  obliged,  they  say,  to  apprentice  himself  to  a 
trade  ;  she  had  some  years  of  happiness,  or  at  least  of 
repose,  during  the  time  that  she  was  confided  to  the 
motherly  cares  of  Madame  Campan,  and  also  after 
leavinof  her  boai'dins:  school.  But  fate  was  now  re- 
leased  from  obligations  :  her  inclinations  thwarted,  an 
unhappy  marriage  opened  for  her  a  new  train  of 
misfortunes.  The  death  of  her  first  son,  whom  the 
Emperor  had  intended  to  adopt,  and  whom  he  had 
designated  as  his  successor  to  tlie  Empire,  the  divorce 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  109 

of  her  mother,  the  cruel  death  of  her  dearest  friend, 
Madame  de  Brocq,^  who  fell  down  a  precipice  before 
her  eyes,  the  overthrow  of  the  impeiial  throne  which 
caused  her  to  lose  her  title  and  her  rank  as  queen, 
a  loss  which  she  felt  much  less  sensibly  than  she  did 
the  misfortune  of  him  whom  she  regarded  as  her 
father;  finally,  the  continual  annoyances  of  her  do- 
mestic disputes,  the  vexatious  trial,  and  her  sorrow 
at  beholding  her  eldest  son  taken  from  her  by  her 
husband's  order;  such  have  been  the  principal  ca- 
tastrophes of  a  life  which  one  might  have  thought 
destined  to  much  happiness. 

On  the  day  after  the  marriage  of  Mademoiselle 
Hortense,  the  First  Consul  started  for  Lyons,  where 
the  deputies  of  the  Cisalpine  Republic,  assembled 
for  the  election  of  a  president,  were  awaiting  him. 


1  Mademoiselle  Adfele  Augui^,  sister  of  Madame  la  Marechale 
Ney,  married  General  de  Brocq,  grand  marshal  of  the  court  of 
Holland.  Her  Majesty  Queen  Hortense,  being  at  the  baths  of 
Aix  in  Savoy,  took  pleasure  in  making  excursions  -with  her  friend, 
on  the  most  craggy  mountains.  On  one  of  these  they  found  a 
torrent  in  their  path,  bridged  only  by  a  fragile  plank.  The  Queen, 
conducted  by  her  equerry,  crossed  first,  and  was  turning  to  encour- 
age Madame  de  Brocq,  when  she  saw  her  slip  and  fall  headlong 
down  the  precipice.  At  this  horrible  sight  the  Queen  uttered 
piercing  shrieks.  But  her  despair  did  not  deprive  her  of  presence 
of  mind.  She  gave  orders  and  multiplied  prayers  and  promises. 
But  all  aid  was  useless.  The  body  had  been  shattered  in  the  fall, 
and  a  certain  time  elapsed  before  the  cold  and  mutilated  corpse 
could  be  withdrawn  from  the  water.  These  sad  remains  were 
brought  back  to  Saint-Leu,  all  of  whose  inhabitants  were  plunged 
into  profound  grief.  Madame  de  Brocq's  duty  was  to  distribute 
the  luimerous  charities  of  the  Queen.  She  merited  the  tears 
called  forth  by  her  death. 


110  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

Everywhere  along  his  passage  he  was  received  amidst 
fetes  and  by  the  felicitations  which  people  were  eager 
to  express  to  him  on  the  miraculous  manner  in  which 
he  had  escaped  from  the  plots  of  his  enemies.  This 
journey  did  not  differ  in  any  way  from  those  he 
made  afterward  as  emperor.  On  arriving  in  Lyons, 
he  received  the  visit  of  all  the  authorities  of  the 
constituted  bodies,  deputations  from  the  neighboring 
departments,  and  members  of  the  Italian  council. 
Madame  Bonaparte,  who  went  on  this  journey,  ac- 
companied her  husband  to  the  theatre,  and  shared 
with  him  the  honors  of  the  magnificent  fete  offered 
him  by  the  city  of  Lyons.  The  day  when  the  coun- 
cil elected  and  proclaimed  the  First  Consul  president 
of  the  Italian  republic,  he  reviewed  the  troops  of  the 
garrison  on  the  Place  des  Brotteaux,  and  recognized 
several  soldiers  of  the  army  of  Egypt,  with  whom  he 
talked  for  some  time.  On  all  these  occasions  the 
First  Consul  wore  the  same  costume  which  he  did  at 
Malmaison,  and  which  I  have  described  elsewhere. 
He  rose  early,  mounted  his  horse,  and  visited  the  pub- 
lic works,  among  others  those  of  the  Place  Belcour, 
the  first  stone  of  which  he  had  laid  on  his  return 
from  Italy,  He  went  through  the  Brotteaux,  inspect- 
ing and  examining  everything,  and,  always  indefati- 
gable, worked  on  coming  in  again  as  if  he  had  been 
at  the  Tuileries.  He  seldom  changed  his  dress; 
that  only  happening  when  he  received  the  authorities 
at  his  table  or  the  principal  inhabitants.  He  received 
all   requests   kindly.     Before   leaving   he   presented 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  111 

the  mayor  of  the  city  with  a  scarf  of  honor,  and  the 
Pope's  legate  with  a  rich  snuff-box  ornamented  with 
his  portrait.  The  deputies  of  the  council  also  re- 
ceived presents,  and  were  not  backward  in  returning 
them.  They  offered  Madame  Bonaparte  some  mag- 
nificent ornaments  in  diamonds  and  precious  stones 
and  the  most  costly  jewels. 

The  First  Consul,  on  arriving  in  Lyons,  had  been 
keenly  afflicted  by  the  sudden  deatli  of  a  worthy 
prelate  wliom  lie  had  known  in  his  first  Italian 
campaign.  The  Archbishop  of  Milan  had  come  to 
Lyons,  in  spite  of  his  great  age,  to  see  the  First  Con- 
sul whom  he  loved  tenderly ;  so  much  so  that  in  con- 
versation tlie  venerable  old  man  had  been  heard  to 
address  the  young  General  as  "  my  son."  The  peas- 
ants of  Pavia  having  revolted,  because  they  had  been 
fanaticized  by  being  told  that  the  French  wished  to 
destroy  their  religion,  the  Archbishop  of  Milan,  to 
prove  to  them  that  their  fears  were  groundless,  had 
often  shown  himself  in  the  carriage  with  General 
Bonaparte. 

This  prelate  had  stood  the  journey  perfectly. 
M.  de  Talleyrand,  who  had  arrived  in  Lyons  some 
days  before  the  First  Consul,  had  given  a  dinner 
to  the  Cisalpine  deputies  and  the  principal  nota- 
bilities of  the  city.  Tlie  Archbishop  of  Milan  was 
on  his  right.  Hardly  seated,  and  as  he  was  bending 
toward  M.  de  Talleyrand  to  speak  to  him,  he  died 
in  his  chair. 

January  12,  the  city  of  Lyons  offered  to  the  First 


112  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  a  magnificent  ball, 
preceded  by  a  concert.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, the  three  mayors,  accompanied  by  the  commis- 
sioners of  the  fete,  came  to  seek  their  guests  at  the 
government  palace.  I  seem  still  to  see  that  immense 
amphitheatre,  magnificently  decorated,  and  illumi- 
nated b}^  chandeliers  and  candles  without  number; 
those  seats  draped  with  the  richest  tapestries  from 
the  manufactories  of  the  city,  and  covered  with  thou- 
sands of  brilliant  women,  some  of  them  young  and 
beautiful,  and  all  of  them  ornamental.  The  theatre 
had  been  selected  as  the  place  for  the  entertainment. 
At  the  entry  of  the  First  Consul  and  of  Madame 
Bonaparte,  who  came  forward  giving  an  arm  to  one 
of  the  mayors,  there  rose  a  thunder  of  applause  and 
acclamations.  All  at  once  the  theatrical  decorations 
disappeared  and  gave  way  to  the  Place  Bonaparte 
(the  former  Place  Belcour),  such  as  it  had  been  re- 
stored by  order  of  the  First  Consul.  In  the  middle 
of  it  arose  a  pyramid  surmounted  by  the  statue  of  the 
First  Consul,  who  was  represented  as  leaning  on  a 
lion.  Trophies  of  arms  and  of  bas-reliefs  figured  on 
one  of  the  faces  the  battle  of  Areola,  and  on  the  other 
that  of  IVIarengo. 

When  the  first  transports  excited  by  this  spectacle, 
which  simultaneously  recalled  the  good  deeds  and 
the  victories  of  the  hero  of  the  fete,  had  quieted 
down,  a  great  silence  fell,  and  then  delightful  music, 
blended  with  chants  all  celebrating  the  glory  of  the 
First  Consul,  his  Avife,  tlie  warriors  surrounding  him. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  118 


and  the  representatives  of  the  Italian  republics, 
was  heard.  The  singers  and  players  were  all  of 
them  amateurs  of  Lyons.  Mademoiselle  Longue,  M. 
Gerbet,  postoffice  director,  and  M.  Theodore,  a  mer- 
chant, each  of  whom  had  sung  his  part  in  a  ravish- 
ing manner,  received  the  felicitations  of  the  First 
Consul  and  the  most  gracious  thanks  of  Madame 
Bonaparte. 

What  I  noticed  most  in  the  couplets  which  were 
sung  on  this  occasion  and  which  resembled  all  occa- 
sional verses,  was  that  the  First  Consul  was  extolled 
in  the  same  terms  that  all  the  poets  of  the  Em- 
pire have  since  employed.  All  the  exaggerations 
of  flattery  were  exhausted  in  the  time  of  the  Con- 
sulate ;  in  the  years  that  followed  it  was  necessary 
to.  repeat  them.  Thus,  in  the  Lyons  couplets  the 
First  Consul  was  the  god  of  victory^  the  conqueror  of 
the  Nile  and  of  Neptune^  the  saviour  of  the  country^ 
the  peacemaker  of  the  woi'ld,  the  arbiter  of  Europe. 
The  French  soldiers  were  transformed  into  friends 
and  companions  of  Alcides,  etc.  This  was  to  cut  the 
grass  from  under  the  feet  of  future  poets. 

The  Lyons  fete  terminated  by  a  ball  which  lasted 
until  daybreak.  The  First  Consul  remained  two 
hours,  during  which  time  he  conversed  with  the  city 
magistrates. 

While  the  more  considerable  inhabitants  were  offer- 
ing to  their  guests  this  magnificent  entertainment, 
the  people,  in  spite  of  the  cold,  were  devoting  them- 
selves to  dancing  and  pleasure  in  the  public  squares. 


vox..  I. I 


114  IIEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

Toward  midnight,  some  very  fme  fireworks  were  set 
off  on  the  Place  Bonaparte. 

After  spending  fifteen  or  eighteen  days  at  Lyons, 
we  resumed  the  road  to  Paris.  The  First  Consul 
and  his  wife  still  continued  to  reside  by  preference 
at  Malmaison.  It  was,  I  think,  shortly  after  the 
return  of  the  First  Consul,  that  a  man  not  at  all  well 
dressed,  solicited  an  audience.  He  was  ushered  into 
the  cabinet  and  asked  what  lie  wanted.  "  General," 
responded  the  solicitor,  intimidated  by  his  presence, 
"it  was  I  who  had  the  honor  to  give  you  writing 
lessons  at  the  school  of  Brienne."  "  The  fine  pupil 
that  you  made  there  ! "  quickly  interrupted  the  First 
Consul,  "  I  compliment  you  on  it."  Then  he  was 
the  first  to  laugh  at  his  vivacity,  and  addressed  some 
good-natured  remarks  to  this  honest  man,  whose 
timidity  had  not  been  lessened  by  such  a  compliment. 
A  few  days  later,  the  master  received  from  the  worst, 
doubtless,  of  all  his  pupils  of  Brienne  (every  one 
knows  how  badly  the  Emperor  wrote),  a  pension 
sufficient  for  his  needs. 

Another  of  the  former  teachers  of  the  First  Consul, 
M.  I'Abb^  Dupuis,  had  been  placed  by  him  at  Mal- 
maison in  the  capacity  of  private  librarian.  He  lived 
and  died  there.  He  was  a  modest  man  and  had  the 
I'eputation  of  being  well  informed.  The  First  Consul 
often  visited  him  in  his  apartment  and  always  showed 
him  every  imaginable  regard  and  attention. 


CHAPTER  IX 

Proclamation  of  the  law  on  public  worship  —  Conversation  on 
this  subject  —  The  regulation  —  The  plenipotentiaries  for  the 
Concordat — Tlie  Abb6  Bernier  and  Cardinal  Caprara  —  The 
red  hat  and  the  red  cap  —  Costume  of  the  First  Consul  and  his 
colleagues  —  The  first  Te  Deinn  chanted  at  Notre-Dame  —  Differ- 
ent sentiments   of  the  spectators  —  The  Kepublican   calendar 

—  The  beard  and  the  white  shirt  —  General  ^&daZZa/i-Menou  — 
His  courage  in  resisting  the  Jacobins  —  His  flag  —  His  ro- 
mantic death  —  Institution  of  the  order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor 

—  The  First  Consul  at  Ivry  —  The  inscriptions  of  1802  and  the 
inscription  of  1814 — The  mayor  of  Ivry  and  the  mayor  of 
Evi-eux  —  Simplicity  of  a  high  functionary  —  The  cinq-z-enfants 

—  The  First  Consul's  arrival  at  Rouen  —  M.  Beugnot  and  Arch- 
bishop Cambacfires  —  The  mayor  of  Rouen  in  the  carriage  of 
the  First  Consul  —  General  Soult  and  General  Moncey  —  The 
First  Consul  has  a  corporal  to  breakfast  at  his  table  —  The  First 
Consul  at  Havre  and  Honfleur  —  Goes  from  Havre  to  Fecamp 

—  The  First  Consul's  arrival  at  Dieppe  —  Return  to  Saint- 
Cloud. 

nnHE  day  of  the  proclamation  made  by  the  First 
Consul  of  the  law  on  public  worship,  he  arose 
early  and  summoned  his  attendants  to  make  his  toi- 
let. While  they  were  dressing  him,  I  saw  M.  Joseph 
Bonaparte  and  Consul  Cambacdr^s  enter  his  apart- 
ment. 

"  Well,"  said  the  First  Consul  to  the  latter ;  "  we 
are  going  to  Mass  ;  what  do  they  think  of  that  in 
Paris?" 

116 


116  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

"Many  people,"  responded  M.  Cambac^res,  "pro- 
pose going  to  the  first  representation  and  hissing 
the  piece,  if  they  do  not  find  it  amusing." 

"If  any  one  takes  a  notion  to  hiss,  I  will  have 
him  turned  out  of  doors  by  the  grenadiers  of  the 
consular  guard." 

'-  But  what  if  the  grenadiers  begin  to  hiss  like  the 
others  ?  " 

"As  to  that  I  have  no  fears.  My  'old  mous- 
taches' will  go  to  Notre-Dame  here,  just  as  they 
went  to  the  mosque  in  Cairo.  They  will  look  to  see 
what  I  am  doing,  and  seeing  me  behave  seriously 
and  decently,  they  will  do  the  same,  saying  to 
themselves :  That's  the  regulation." 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  M.  Joseph  Bonaparte,  "that 
the  general  officers  may  not  be  so  accommodating. 
I  have  just  left  Augereau,  who  is  spitting  fire  and 
flame  at  what  he  calls  your  pious  affectations.  He 
and  several  others  will  not  be  easy  to  bring  into  the 
bosom  of  our  holy  mother,  the  Church." 

"Bah!  is  Augereau  like  that?  He's  a  brawler 
who  makes  a  good  deal  of  racket,  and  if  lie  has  some 
imbecile  little  cousin,  he  will  put  him  in  the  semi- 
nary for  me  to  make  a  chaplain  of  him.  Apropos," 
pursued  the  First  Consul,  addressing  his  colleague, 
"when  is  your  brother  going  to  take  possession  of 
his  see  of  Rouen  ?  Do  you  know  he  has  the  finest 
archbishopric  in  France  there  ?  He  will  be  a  cardinal 
before  the  year  is  over ;  that  is  a  settled  affair." 

The  Second  Consul  bowed.     From  that  moment 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  117 

his  behavior  towards  the  First  Consul  was  rather 
that  of  a  courtier  than  an  equal. 

The  plenipotentiaries  who  had  been  appointed  to 
discuss  and  sign  the  Concordat  were  MM.  Joseph 
Bonaparte,  Cr(^tet,  and  the  Abb<^  Bernier.  The 
latter,  whom  I  have  sometimes  seen  at  the  Tuileries, 
had  been  a  chief  of  Chouans,  and  everything  about 
him  showed  it.  In  the  same  conversation  of  which 
I  have  just  related  the  commencement,  the  First 
Consul  spoke  with  his  two  interlocutors  about  the 
conferences  on  the  Concordat.  "  The  Abb^  Bernier," 
said  he,  "frightened  the  Italian  prelates  by  the 
vehemence  of  his  logic.  One  would  have  thought 
he  believed  himself  still  conducting  the  Vend^ans 
to  the  charge  against  the  hlues.  Nothing  was  more 
singular  than  the  contrast  of  his  rude  and  disputa- 
tious manners  with  the  polished  formalities  and 
honeyed  tone  of  the  prelates.  Cardinal  Caprara 
came  two  days  ago  with  a  frightened  air,  to  ask 
whether  it  was  true  that  during  the  war  of  La 
Vendde  the  Abbd  Bernier  made  an  altar  out  of  Re- 
publican corpses  to  celebrate  the  Mass  on.  I  told 
him  that  I  knew  nothing  about  it,  but  that  it  was 
possible.  'General  First  Consul,'  cried  the  terrified 
Cardinal,  'it  is  not  a  red  hat  but  a  red  cap  that 
this  man  needs  ! ' 

"  I  am  very  much  afraid,"  went  on  the  First 
Consul,  "  that  that  may  stand  in  the  way  of  the  Abb^ 
Bernier's  berretta." 

These  gentlemen  quitted  the  First  Consul  when 


118  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

his  toilet  was  finished,  and  went  to  prepare  them- 
selves for  the  ceremony.  On  that  day  the  First 
Consul  wore  the  consular  costume,  which  was  a 
scarlet  coat  without  lapels,  with  a  large  embroidery 
of  golden  palms  on  all  the  seams.  The  sabre  he  had 
brought  from  Egypt  was  suspended  at  his  side  by 
a  shoulder  belt  that  was  rather  narrow,  but  finely 
wrought  and  richly  embroidered.  He  retained  his 
black  collar,  being  unwilling  to  wear  a  lace  cravat. 
Otherwise  he  was  like  his  colleagues,  in  knee-breeches 
and  slippers.  A  French  hat  with  waving  plumes  in 
the  three  colors  completed  this  rich  apparel. 

This  first  celebration  of  the  divine  office  at  Notre- 
Dame  was  a  singular  spectacle  for  the  Parisians. 
jNIany  people  hastened  thither  as  they  would  to  a 
theatrical  representation.  Many  also,  especially 
among  the  military  men,  made  it  a  subject  of  raillery 
rather  than  of  edification.  And  as  to  those  who,  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,  had  done  all  in  their  power  to 
overthrow  the  cult  which  the  First  Consul  had  just 
re-established,  they  found  it  hard  to  hide  their  indig- 
nation and  chagrin.  The  populace  saw  nothing  in 
the  Te  Deiim  which  was  chanted  that  day  for  peace 
and  concord  but  a  new  aliment  offered  to  their  curi- 
osity. But  in  the  middle  class,  a  great  number  of 
pious  persons,  who  had  keenly  regretted  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  devotional  practices  in  which  they  had 
been  brought  up,  were  glad  of  the  return  of  the 
ancient  worship.  Moreover,  there  was  not  at  this 
time  any  symptom  of  superstition  or  rigorism  capable 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  119 

of  alarming  the  enemies  of  intolerance.  The  clergy 
were  very  careful  not  to  show  themselves  too  exact- 
ing. They  asked  very  little,  condemned  nobody,  and 
the  representative  of  the  Holy  Father,  the  Cardinal- 
Legate,  pleased  everybody,  except  perhaps  some  old 
priests  vexed  by  his  indulgence,  the  worldly  grace  of 
his  manners,  and  the  freedom  of  his  conduct.  This 
prelate  was  in  perfect  accord  with  the  First  Consul, 
who  liked  his  conversation  very  much. 

It  is  certain  also  that,  all  religious  sentiment  apart, 
the  fidelity  of  the  people  to  their  ancient  customs 
made  them  return  with  pleasure  to  the  repose  and 
the  celebration  of  Sunday.  The  Republican  calendar 
was  no  doubt  learnedly  calculated ;  but  it  had  been 
smitten  with  ridicule  in  the  first  place  by  the  replace- 
ment of  the  saints  of  the  ancient  calendar  by  the  days 
of  the  ass,  the  pig,  the  turnip,  the  onion,  etc.  .  .  . 
Besides,  if  it  was  skilfully  calculated,  it  was  not  at 
all  commodiously  divided,  and  on  this  head  I  recall 
the  witticism  of  a  very  clever  man,  and  one  who,  in 
spite  of  the  disapprobation  contained  in  his  words, 
would  yet  have  desired  the  establishment  of  the  Re- 
publican system  everywhere  except  in  the  almanac. 
When  the  decree  of  the  Convention  ordaining  the 
adoption  of  the  Republican  calendar  was  published, 
he  said :  "  Thei/  may  say  lohat  they  like,  but  they 
will  have  to  do  ivith  two  enemies  who  will  not  yield : 
the  beard  and  the  white  s7«V^"  The  fact  is  that  for 
the  working  class,  and  for  all  classes  employed  in 
difficult  tasks,  there  was  too  long  an  interval  between 


120  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

one  decadi  and  another.  I  do  not  know  whether  this 
was  the  effect  of  a  deeply  rooted  routine  ;  but  the 
populace,  accustomed  to  work  for  six  consecutive 
days,  and  to  rest  on  the  seventh,  found  nine  days  of 
uninterrupted  labor  very  long.  Hence,  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  ddcadis  was  universally  approved.  The 
decree  which  appointed  Sunday  as  the  day  for  the 
publication  of  the  banns  of  marriage  was  not  so  much 
so,  some  persons  dreading  that  the  former  pretensions 
of  the  clergy  over  the  civil  state  might  revive. 

A  few  days  after  the  formal  re-establishment  of 
the  Catholic  worship,  I  saw  a  general  officer  arrive 
at  the  Tuileries  who  would  perhaps  have  preferred 
the  establishment  of  the  religion  of  Mahomet,  and  the 
change  of  Notre-Dame  into  a  mosque.  This  was 
the  last  general-in-chief  of  the  ariiiy  of  Egypt,  who, 
people  said,  had  become  a  Mussulman  at  Cairo,  the 
ci-devant  Baron  de  Menou.  In  spite  of  the  latest 
check  he  had  been  subjected  to  by  the  English  in 
Egypt,  General  Ahdallah-Menoii  was  well  received 
by  the  Eirst  Consul,  who  soon  after  appointed  him 
governor-general  of  Piedmont.  General  Menou's 
bravery  was  equal  to  every  test,  and  he  had  displayed 
the  greatest  courage  elsewhere  than  on  the  field  of 
battle,  and  amidst  the  most  difficult  circumstances. 
After  the  day  of  August  10,  although  he  belonged 
to  the  Republican  party,  he  had  been  seen  to  follow 
Louis  XVI.  to  the  assemblj^  and  had  been  denounced 
as  a  Royalists  by  the  Jacobins.  In  1795,  the  Eau- 
bourg  Saint- Antoine  having  risen  e7i  7nasse,  and  ad- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  121 

vanced  towards  the  Convention,  General  Menou  had 
surrounded  and  disarmed  the  seditious ;  but  he  had 
resisted  the  atrocious  orders  of  the  commissioners 
of  the  Convention,  who  wanted  to  have  the  entire 
quarter  burned,  in  order  to  punish  the  inhabitants 
for  their  continual  insurrections.  Some  time  after, 
having  again  failed  to  comply  with  the  order  of  the 
Conventionists  to  riddle  the  sections  of  Piuis  with 
grapeshot,  he  was  arraigned  before  a  commission, 
which  would  have  caused  him  to  lose  his  head  if 
General  Bonaparte,  who  had  replaced  him  in  com- 
mand of  the  army  of  the  interior,  had  not  used  all 
his  influence  to  save  his  life.  Such  multiplied  acts 
of  courage  and  generosity  would  suffice,  and  more 
than  suffice,  to  excuse  in  this  brave  officer  the  other- 
wise very  legitimate  pride  with  which  he  boasted 
of  having  armed  the  national  guards  and  substi- 
tuted for  the  white  flag  the  tricolor,  which  he  called 
mt/  standard.  From  the  government  of  Piedmont 
he  passed  to  that  of  Venice,  and  died  of  love,  in 
1810,  in  spite  of  his  sixty  years,  for  an  actress  whom 
he  had  followed  from  Venice  to  Reggio. 

The  institution  of  the  order  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  preceded  by  a  few  days  the  proclamation  of 
the  Consulate  for  life.  This  proclamation  gave  rise 
to  a  feast  which  was  celebrated  the  15th  of  August. 
This  was  the  anniversary  of  the  First  Consul's  birth, 
and  people  profited  by  the  occasion  to  celebrate  this 
anniversary  for  the  first  time.  On  that  day  the 
First  Consul  completed  his  thirty-third  year. 


122  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

In  the  following  month  of  October  I  attended  the 
First  Consul  in  his  journey  to  Normandy.  We 
stopped  at  Ivry,  where  the  First  Consul  visited  the 
battle-field.  He  said  on  reaching  it ;  "  Honor  to  the 
memory  of  the  best  Frenchman  loho  ever  sat  on  the 
throne  of  France.^'  And  he  ordered  the  restoration 
of  the  column  w^liich  had  been  erected  in  memory  of 
the  victory  gained  by  Henri  IV. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  thank  me  for  giving  here 
the  inscriptions  cut  on  the  four  faces  of  the  pyramid. 

First  inscription. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  First  Consul,  to  the  memory  of 
Henri  IV.,  victorious  over  the  enemies  of  the  State,  on  the 
field  of  Ivry,  March  14,  1590. 

Second  inscription. 
Great  men  love  the  glory  of  those  who  resemble  them. 

Third  inscription. 

In  the  year  IX.  of  the  French  Republic,  the  7th  Brumaire, 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  First  Consul,  after  having  passed  over 
this  plain,  ordered  the  reconstruction  of  the  monument  des- 
tined to  consecrate  the  memory  of  Henri  IV.  and  that  of  the 
victory  of  Ivry. 

Fourth  inscription. 

The  misfortunes  experienced  by  France  at  the  epoch  of  the 
battle  of  Iviy,  were  the  result  of  the  appeal  made  by  the 
different  French  parties  to  the  Spanish  and  English  nations. 
Every  family,  every  party  which  calls  foreign  powers  to  its 
assistance,  has  merited  and  will  merit  to  the  latest  posterity 
the  maledictions  of  the  French  people. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  123 

All  of  these  inscriptions  have  been  effaced  and 
replaced  by  the  following: 

This  is  the  place  of  the  pillar  where  Henri  IV.  stood  on  the  day 
of  Ivnj,  Moj-ch  14,  1590. 

M.  L^dier,  mayor  of  Ivry,  accompanied  the  First 
Consul  on  this  excursion.  The  First  Consul  talked 
with  him  a  long  time  and  seemed  w'ell  satisfied. 
The  mayor  of  Evreux  did  not  give  him  an  equally 
good  idea  of  his  talents ;  hence  he  rudely  interrupted 
him  in  the  middle  of  a  sort  of  compliment  this  wor- 
thy magistrate  was  trying  to  pay  him,  by  inquiring 
whether  he  knew  his  confrere,  the  mayor  of  Ivry. 
"  No,  General,"  replied  the  mayor.  "  Well,  so  much 
the  worse  for  you  ;  I  advise  you  to  make  his  ac- 
quaintance." 

It  was  at  Evreux  also  that  an  administrator  of  high 
rank  had  the  opportunity  of  amusing  Madame  Bona- 
parte and  her  suite  by  a  piece  of  naivete  w^hich  di- 
verted everybody  but  the  First  Consul,  because  he 
did  not  like  such  silly  things  when  they  proceeded 
from  a  man  of  position.  ]\I.  de  Ch did  the  hon- 
ors of  the  county  town  to  the  wife  of  the  First  Con- 
sul, and  in  spite  of  his  great  age  showed  much 
alacrity  and  promptness  in  so  doing.  Among  other 
questions  dictated  by  her  usual  benevolence  and 
grace,  Madame  Bonaparte  asked  him  if  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  if  he  had  a  family.     "  O  Madame,  I  should 

think  so,"  replied  M,  de  Ch with  a  smile  and  a 

bow;   "I    have    cinq-z-enfanU.'"     "Ah!    mon  Die^if' 


124  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

cried  Madame  Bonaparte,  "  what  a  regiment !  it 
is  extraordinary.  How,  Monsieur,  sixteen  children  P 
(^seize  enfants).^''  "  Yes,  Madame,  cinq-z-enfants, 
cinq-z-enfants,'^  repeated  the  administrator,  not  see- 
ing anything  very  marvellous  in  that,  and  being  as- 
tonished merely  by  the  astonishment  manifested  by 
Madame  Bonaparte.  In  the  end  some  one  explained 
to  the  latter  the  error  she  had  been  led  into  by  the 
dangerous  liaison  of  M.  de  Ch ,  adding  as  se- 
riously as  he  could :  "  Deign,  Madame,  to  excuse  M. 

de  Ch ;  the  Revolution  interrupted  the   course 

of  his  studies."     He  was  more  than  sixty  years  old. 

From  Evreux  we  started  for  Rouen,  where  we  ar- 
rived at  about  three  in  the  afternoon.  M.  Chaptal, 
minister  of  the  interior,  INI.  Beugnot,  prefect  of 
the  department,  and  M.  Cambaceres,  Archbishop  of 
Rouen,  came  to  meet  the  First  Consul  at  a  certain 
distance  from  the  city.  The  mayor,  M.  Fontenay, 
awaited  him  at  the  gates,  of  which  he  presented  him 
the  keys.  The  First  Consul  held  them  for  some  time 
in  his  hands,  and  then  returned  them  to  the  mayor, 
saying  in  a  tone  loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  the 
crowd  surrounding  his  carriage :  "  Citizens,  I  could 
not  better  confide  the  keys  than  to  the  charge  of  the 
worthy  magistrate  who  enjoys  my  confidence  and 
yours  by  so  many  titles."  He  caused  M.  Fontenay 
to  get  into  his  carriage,  saying  that  he  ivished  to  honor 
Rouen  in  the  person  of  its  mayor. 

Madame  Bonaparte  was  in  her  husband's  carriage ; 
General  Moncey  rode  at  the  right-hand   side   of  it. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  125 

In  the  second  carriage  were  General  Soult  and  two 
aides-de-camp;  in  a  third,  General  Bessidres  and  M. 
de  Lu9ay;  in  a  fourth,  General  Lauriston.  Then 
came  the  servants'  carriages.  Hambart,  Hubert,  and 
I  were  in  the  first  one. 

I  should  try  in  vain  to  give  an  idea  of  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  people  of  Rouen  on  the  arrival  of  the 
First  Consul.  The  market  porters  and  boatmen  in 
grand  costume  were  awaiting  us  on  the  outside  of 
the  city ;  and  when  the  carriage  containing  the  two 
august  personages  was  within  their  reach,  these  excel- 
lent fellows  ranged  themselves  in  double  file  and  pre- 
ceded the  carriage  in  this  way  as  far  as  the  hotel  of 
tlie  prefecture,  where  the  First  Consul  alighted. 

The  prefect  and  the  mayor  of  Rouen,  the  Arch- 
bishop and  the  general  commanding  the  division, 
dined  with  the  First  Consul,  who  displayed  the  most 
amiable  gaiety  during  the  repast,  and  was  most  care- 
ful to  inform  himself  concerning  the  condition  of 
manufactures,  new  discoveries  in  the  arts  of  mak- 
ing fabrics,  and,  in  short,  all  that  could  relate  to 
the  prosperity  of  this  essentially  industrial  city. 

In  the  evening,  and  nearly  all  night,  an  immense 
crowd  surrounded  the  hotel  and  filled  the  g^ardens  of 
the  prefecture,  which  were  illuminated  and  adorned 
with  allegorical  transparencies  in  praise  of  the  First 
Consul.  Each  time  that  he  showed  himself  on  the 
terrace  of  the  garden,  the  air  resounded  with  ap- 
plause and  acclamations  which  seemed  to  flatter 
him  extremely. 


126  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

The  next  morning,  after  having  made  the  rounds 
of  the  city  on  horseback,  and  visiting  the  magnificent 
places  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  the  First  Consul 
heard  Mass,  which  was  celebrated  at  eleven  o'clock 
by  the  Archbishop  in  the  chapel  of  the  prefecture. 
An  hour  later  he  had  to  receive  the  general  council 
of  the  department,  the  municipal  council,  the  clergy 
of  Rouen,  and  the  tribunals.  He  had  to  listen  to 
a  half-dozen  discourses,  all  conceived  in  nearly  the 
same  terms,  and  to  which  he  replied  in  a  manner  cal- 
culated to  give  the  orators  the  highest  opinion  of 
their  own  merits.  All  these  bodies,  on  quitting  the 
First  Consul,  were  presented  to  Madame  Bonaparte, 
who  received  them  with  her  usual  grace. 

In  the  evening  Madame  Bonaparte  gave  a  reception 
for  the  wives  of  the  functionaries.  The  First  Consul 
was  present  at  this  reception,  a  fact  availed  of  in 
order  to  present  to  him  several  newly  amnestied 
persons,  whom  he  received  with  benevolence. 

For  the  rest,  there  were  the  same  illuminations,  the 
same  acclamations  as  on  the  evening-  before.  All 
countenances  wore  a  festive  look  which  delighted 
me,  and,  in  my  opinion,  contrasted  singularly  with 
the  horrible  wooden  houses,  the  dirty  and  narrow 
streets,  and  the  Gothic  constructions  which  then 
characterized  the  city  of  Rouen. 

On  Monday,  November  1,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  the  First  Consul  mounted  a  horse,  escorted 
by  a  detachment  of  the  young  men  of  the  city,  form- 
ing a  voluntary  guard.     He  crossed  the  bridge  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  127 

boats,  and  went  through  the  Faubourg  Saint-Sever. 
On  returning  from  this  promenade,  we  found  the 
people  awaiting  him  at  tlie  head  of  the  bridge,  who 
conducted  him  back  to  the  hotel  of  the  prefecture, 
making  the  air  ring  with  shouts  of  joy. 

After  breakfast,  High  Mass  was  sung  by  Monseig- 
neur  the  Archbishop,  it  being  the  feast  of  All  Saints ; 
then  came  the  learned  societies,  the  heads  of  the  ad- 
ministration, and  the  judges  of  the  peace,  with  their 
discourses.  That  of  the  latter  contained  a  re- 
markable phrase :  these  good  magistrates,  in  their 
enthusiasm,  asked  the  First  Consul's  permission  to 
surname  him  the  grand  judge  of  the  peace  of  Europe. 
As  they  were  leaving  the  apartment  of  the  First 
Consul,  I  noticed  the  man  who  had  delivered  the 
speech  i  there  were  tears  in  his  ej'es,  and  he  was 
proudly  repeating  the  response  just  made  to  him.  I 
regret  not  having  remembered  his  name  ;  he  was, 
I  was  told,  one  of  the  most  respectable  men  in 
Rouen.  His  face  inspired  confidence  and  wore  an 
expression  of  frankness  that  prepossessed  one  in  his 
favor. 

In  the  evening,  the  First  Consul  went  to  the 
theatre.  The  hall,  filled  to  the  roof,  presented  a 
charming  sight.  The  municipal  authorities  had 
caused  a  superb  entertainment  to  be  prepared,  which 
the  First  Consul  found  greatly  to  his  taste ;  he 
complimented  the  prefect  and  the  mayor  on  it  several 
times.  After  having  seen  the  opening  of  the  ball, 
and  made  two  or  three  turns  around  the  hall,  he 


128  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

withdrew,  surrounded  by  the  staff  of  the  national 
guard. 

A  great  part  of  Tuesday  was  employed  by  the 
First  Consul  in  visiting  the  workshops  of  the 
numerous  manufactories  of  the  city.  The  minister 
of  the  interior,  the  prefect,  the  mayor,  the  general 
commanding  the  division,  the  inspector-general  of 
the  county  police,  and  the  staff  of  the  consular  guard 
accompanied  him.  In  one  manufactory  of  the 
Faubourg  Saint-Sever,  the  minister  of  the  interior 
presented  to  him  the  senior  workman,  known  for 
having  woven  the  first  piece  of  velvet  in  France. 
After  complimenting  this  honorable  old  man,  the 
First  Consul  granted  him  a  pension.  Other  rewards 
or  encouragements  were  likewise  distributed  to  sev- 
eral persons  whose  useful  inventions  recommended 
them  to  public  gratitude. 

On  Monday  morning  earl}^,  we  started  for  Elbeuf, 
where  we  anived  at  ten  o'clock,  preceded  by  some 
sixt}'-  young  men  of  the  most  distinguished  families 
in  the  city,  who,  after  the  example  of  those  of 
Rouen,  aspired  to  the  honor  of  forming  the  guard 
of  the  First  Consul. 

The  country  all  around  was  covered  by  an  in- 
numerable multitude,  coming  from  the  surrounding 
communes.  The  First  Consul  alighted  at  the  house 
of  the  mayor  of  Elbeuf,  where  he  breakfasted.  After- 
wards he  visited  the  city  in  detail,  seeking  infor- 
mation everywhere ;  and  learning  that  one  of  the 
principal  needs  of  the  citizens  was  the  construction 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  129 

of  a  road  from  Elbeuf  to  a  little  neighboring  town, 
called  Romilly,  he  gave  orders  to  the  minister  of  the 
interior  to  have  the  work  begun  at  once. 

At  Elbeuf,  as  at  Rouen,  the  First  Consul  was 
loaded  witli  homage  and  benedictions.  We  returned 
to  the  latter  city  at  four  in  the  afternoon. 

The  merchants  of  Rouen  had  prepared  a  fete  in 
the  stock  exchange.  The  First  Consul  and  his  wife 
went  there  after  dinner.  He  remained  a  long  while 
on  the  ground-floor  of  this  great  building,  where 
magnificent  samples  of  tlic  industries  of  the  depart- 
ment were  displayed.  He  examined  all,  and  had 
them  examined  by  Madame  Bonaparte,  who  wished 
to  buy  several  pieces  of  stuff. 

Then  the  First  Consul  Avent  up  into  the  first 
story;  there,  in  a  beautiful  salon,  were  assembled 
a  hundred  ladies  and  misses,  nearly  all  pretty,  the 
wives  or  daughters  of  the  principal  merchants  of 
Rouen,  who  were  waiting  to  pay  him  their  comj)li- 
ments.  He  sat  down  in  this  charming  circle,  and 
remained  there  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  going 
afterwards  into  another  hall,  where  he  listened  to 
the  representation  of  a  little  "  proverb,"  mingled 
with  couplets,  expressive,  as  one  may  guess,  of  the 
attachment  and  the  gratitude  of  the  people  of  Rouen. 

This  "  proverb  "  was  followed  by  a  ball. 

On  Thursday  evening,  the  First  Consul  announced 
that  he  would  leave  for  Havre  the  next  morning 
at  daybreak.  I  was,  in  fact,  awakened  by  Hubert  at 
five  in  the  morning,  who  told  me  we  would  start  at 

VOL.    I.  — K 


130  MEMOIBS  OF  CONSTANT 

six  o'clock.  I  had  a  bad  awakening,  which  made 
me  sick  all  day :  I  would  have  given  a  good  deal 
to  sleep  some  hours  longer.  .  .  .  Finally,  we  had  to 
set  off.  Before  getting  into  the  carriage,  the  First 
Consul  made  a  present  to  Monseigneur  the  Arch- 
bishop of  a  snuff-box  with  his  portrait.  He  also 
gave  one  to  the  maj'or  bearing  the  inscription : 
The  French  People. 

We  stopped  at  Caudebec  for  breakfast.  The  mayor 
of  this  town  presented  to  the  First  Consul  a  corporal 
who  had  made  the  Italian  campaign  (his  name,  I 
think,  Avas  Roussel),  and  who  had  received  a  sabre 
of  honor  as  the  reward  of  his  fine  conduct  at  Ma- 
rengo. He  was  at  Caudebec  on  a  six  months'  fur- 
lough, and  he  asked  the  First  Consul's  permission  to 
stand  sentry  at  the  door  of  the  apartment  occupied 
by  the  august  travellers.  This  Avas  granted,  and 
when  the  First  Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  sat 
down  at  table,  Roussel  was  called  and  invited  to 
breakfast  with  his  former  general.  At  Havre  and 
at  Dieppe,  the  First  Consul  thus  invited  to  his 
table  all  those,  whether  soldiers  or  sailors,  who  had 
obtained  guns,  sabres,  or  boarding-axes  of  honor. 
The  First  Consul  stopped  for  half  an  hour  at  Bol- 
bec,  displaying  much  attention  and  interest  in  exam- 
ining the  industrial  products  of  the  arrondissement, 
complimenting  the  guards  of  honor  who  came  to 
meet  him  on  their  fine  appearance,  thanking  the 
priest  for  the  prayers  he  addressed  to  Heaven  for 
him,   and   leaving   in   his    hands   and   those    of   the 


MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT  131 

mayor  tokens  for  the  poor  of  his  passage.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  First  Consul  at  Havre,  the  city  was 
illuminated.  The  First  Consul  and  his  numerous 
coitecfe  marched  between  two  rows  of  illumination 
stands,  of  liery  columns  of  every  sort.  The  vessels 
that  were  in  the  harbor  looked  like  a  forest  in 
flames ;  they  were  surcharged  with  colored  lamps  to 
the  tops  of  their  masts.  On  the  day  of  his  arrival, 
the  First  Consul  received  only  a  part  of  the  authori- 
ties of  the  city;  he  went  to  bed  shortly  afterwards, 
sajdng  that  he  \vas  sleepy ;  but  by  six  o'clock  next 
morning  he  was  on  horseback,  and  for  more  than 
two  hours  he  was  ranging  the  beach,  the  hillsides 
of  Ingouville  for  more  than  a  league,  the  banks  of 
the  Seine  as  far  as  the  acclivity  of  Hoc;  and  he 
made  the  exterior  round  of  the  citadel.  About 
three  o'clock  the  First  Consul  began  to  receive  the 
authorities.  He  conversed  with  them,  in  the  great- 
est detail,  about  the  works  which  must  be  accom- 
plished in  order  that  their  port,  which  he  always 
called  the  port  of  Paris,  should  attain  the  highest 
degree  of  prosperity.  He  did  the  sub-prefect,  the 
mayor,  the  two  presidents  of  the  tribunals,  the  com- 
mandant of  the  place,  and  the  chief  of  the  10th  half 
brigade  of  light  infantry,  the  honor  of  inviting  them 
to  his  table. 

In  the  evening  the  First  Consul  went  to  the 
theatre,  where  they  played  a  little  piece  written 
for  the  occasion,  about  as  good  as  such  things  ever 
are,  but  for  which  the  First  Consul,  and  especially 


132  MEifOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Madame  Bonaparte,  were  well  pleased  with  the  au- 
thors. The  illuminations  were  still  more  brilliant 
than  on  the  previous  evening.  I  especially  remem- 
ber that  the  majority  of  the  transparencies  Avere 
inscribed  with  these  words :  18  Brumaire^  year  VIII. 
At  seven  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  after  having 
visited  the  marine  arsenal  and  all  the  basins,  the 
First  Consul  embarked  on  a  little  yawl,  the  weather 
being  fine,  and  remained  in  the  roadstead  during 
several  hours.  His  cortege  was  composed  of  a  great 
number  of  boats  filled  with  fashionable  men  and 
women,  and  with  musicians  who  played  the  favorite 
airs  of  the  First  Consul.  Several  more  hours  were 
spent  in  receiving  merchants,  to  whom  the  First 
Consul  said  openly  that  he  had  had  the  greatest 
pleasure  in  conferring  on  the  commerce  of  Havre 
with  the  colonies.  That  evening  there  was  a  fete 
arranged  by  the  mercantile  community,  at  which 
the  First  Consul  was  present  for  half  an  hour.  On 
Monday,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  embarked 
on  a  lugger,  and  went  to  Honfleur.  The  weather 
was  somewhat  threatening  at  the  time  of  departure, 
and  several  persons  had  tried  to  persuade  the  First 
Consul  not  to  go  on  board.  Madame  Bonaparte,  to 
whose  ears  this  rumor  came,  ran  to  her  husband  and 
begged  him  not  to  start;  but  he  embraced  her, 
laughing  and  calling  her  a  trembler,  and  went 
aboard  the  boat  that  was  awaiting  him.  He  had 
scarcely  done  so  when  the  wind  suddenly  became 
more   calm   and  the  weather  was  magnificent.     On 


MJEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  133 


his  return  to  Havre,  the  First  Consul  held  a  review 
on  the  Place  de  la  Citadelle,  and  visited  the  artillery- 
establishments.  He  again  received  until  evening  a 
great  number  of  public  functionaries  and  merchants, 
and  the  next  day,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
started  for  Dieppe. 

At  the  moment  when  we  arrived  at  Fdcamp,  the 
town  presented  an  extremely  curious  spectacle.  All 
the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  towns  and  vil- 
lages accompanied  the  clergy  in  chanting  a  Te  Deum 
for  the  anniversary  of  the  18th  Brumaire.  These 
innumerable  voices,  rising  to  Heaven  in  prayer 
for  him,  moved  the  First  Consul  deeply.  He 
repeated  several  times,  during  breakfast,  that  he 
had  experienced  more  emotion  from  these  chants 
under  the  vaulted  sky,  than  he  had  ever  done  from 
more  brilliant  music. 

We  reached  Dieppe  at  six  in  the  evening ;  the 
First  Consul  did  not  go  to  bed  until  after  having 
received  all  the  felicitations,  which  were  certainly 
very  sincere  there,  as  they  were  at  that  time 
throughout  France.  At  eight  o'clock  next  day  he 
went  down  to  the  wharf,  where  he  stayed  a  long 
time  watching  the  fishing  boats  come  in,  and  then 
visited  the  Faubourg  du  Pollet  and  the  works  they 
were  commencing  in  the  basins.  He  admitted  to 
his  table  the  sub-prefect,  the  mayor,  and  three  sailors 
of  Dieppe,  who  had  obtained  boarding-axes  of  honor 
for  distinguishing:  themselves  at  the  combat  of 
Boulogne.     The  First  Consul  ordered  the  construe- 


134  MEMOIRS    OF  CONSTANT 

tioii  of  a  sluice  in  the  last  wharf,  and  the  con- 
tinuation of  a  canal  which  was  to  extend  to  Paris, 
but  of  which  only  a  few  feet  had  yet  been  built. 
From  Dieppe  we  went  to  Gisors  and  to  Beauvais ; 
and  finally  the  First  Consul  and  his  wife  returned  to 
Saint-Cloud,  after  an  absence  of  fifteen  days,  during 
which  time  active  restorations  had  been  in  progress 
in  this  ancient  royal  residence,  which  the  First  Con- 
sul had  decided  to  accept,  as  I  shall  presently 
explain. 


CHAPTER  X 

Influence  of  the  journey  to  Normandy  on  the  mind  of  the  First 
Consul  —  The  evokition  of  the  Empire  —  Memories  and  history 

—  First  ladies  and  first  officers  of  Madame  Bonaparte  —  Mes- 
damcs  de  K^musat,  de  Cramayel,  de  Lu§ay,  de  Lauriston  — 
Mademoiselle  d'Arberg  and  Mademoiselle  de  Lugay  —  Prudence 
at  court  —  MM.  de  R^musat,  de  Cramayel,  de  Lu^ay,  Didelot  — 
The  palace  refused,  then  accepted  —  Bawbles  —  The  servitors 
of  Marie-Antoinette  better  treated  under  the  Consulate  than 
since  the  Restoration  —  Fire  at  Saint-Cloud  —  The  watch 
chamber  —  The  bourgeois  bed  —  How  the  First  Consul  went 
down  to  his  wife's  room  at  night  —  Duty  and  conjugal  triumph 

—  Excessive  severity  toward  a  young  woman  —  Weapons  of 
honor  and  the  troopers  —  The  baptism  of  blood  —  The  First 
Consul  following  the  plough  —  Laborers  and  councillors  of  state 

—  The  Republican  grenadier  becomes  a  laborer  —  Audience  of 
the  First  Consul — The  author  introduced  into  the  General's 
cabinet  —  A  good  reception  and  a  curious  conversation. 

n^HE  journey  of  the  First  Consul  in  the  richest 
and  most  enlightened  departments  of  France 
must  have  banished  from  his  mind  many  of  the 
difficulties  he  might  at  first  have  dreaded  to  en- 
counter in  the  execution  of  his  schemes.  Every- 
where he  had  been  received  like  a  monarch ;  and 
not  he  alone,  but  Madame  Bonaparte  had  been 
welcomed  with  all  the  honors  usually  reserved  for 
crowned  heads.  There  was  not  the  slightest  differ- 
ence between  the  homage  paid  them  then,  and  that 

135 


136  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

with  which  they  were  afterward  surrounded  even  un- 
der the  Empire,  when  Their  Majesties  made  journeys 
through  their  dominions  at  different  epoclis.  This 
is  why  I  have  entered  into  some  details  concerning 
this  one ;  if  they  appear  too  long,  or  too  devoid 
of  novelty  to  some  readers,  I  beg  them  to  remember 
that  I  am  not  writing  merely  for  those  who  have  seen 
the  Empire.  The  generation  which  was  a  witness 
of  so  many  great  things  and  which  was  able  to 
see  close  at  hand,  and  from  his  beginnings,  the 
greatest  man  of  this  century,  is  already  giving  place 
to  other  generations  which  cannot  and  could  not 
judge  except  on  the  testimony  of  that  which  pre- 
ceded them.  What  is  familiar  to  this  person,  who 
has  examined  it  with  his  own  eyes,  is  not  so  for 
others  who  need  to  have  somebody  relate  to  them 
what  they  could  not  have  seen.  Moreover,  details 
neglected  as  futile  and  common  by  history,  which 
makes  a  profession  of  gravity,  are  perfectly  suitable 
to  simple  souvenirs,  and  sometimes  enable  one  to 
understand  and  judge  an  epoch  well.  It  seems  to 
me,  for  example,  that  the  cordiality  of  the  whole 
population  and  of  the  authorities  toward  the  First 
Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  during  their  journey 
in  Normandy,  sufficiently  shows  that  the  chief  of 
the  State  would  not  liave  to  fear  a  very  great 
opposition,  at  least  on  the  part  of  the  nation,  when 
it  should  please  him  to  change  his  title  and  proclaim 
himself  Emperor. 

Not  long  after  our  return,  a  decision  of  the  consuls 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  137 


accorded  to  Madame  Bonaparte  four  ladies  to  assist 
her  in  doing  the  honors  of  the  palace.  They  were 
Mesdames  de  R(:3musat,  de  Tallouet,  de  Lii^ay,  and 
de  Lauriston.  Under  the  Empire  tliey  became  ladies 
of  the  palace.  Madame  de  Lugay  often  occasioned  a 
laugh  among  the  servants  by  little  traits  of  parsi- 
mony ;  but  she  was  good  and  obliging.  Madame 
de  R^musat  was  a  woman  of  the  greatest  merit,  and 
very  sensible.  She  seemed  a  trifle  hauglity,  and  that 
was  the  more  noticed  because  M.  de  R^musat  was 
full  of  good-nature. 

In  the  sequel,  there  was  a  lady  of  honor,  Madame 
de  la  Rochefoucauld,  of  whom  I  shall  have  occasion 
to  speak  later ; 

A  lady  of  the  bed-chamber,  Madame  de  Lu9ay, 
who  was  replaced  by  Madame  de  la  Villette,  so 
gloriously  known  afterwards  by  her  devotion  to  her 
husband ; 

Twenty-four  ladies  of  the  palace,  Frenchwomen, 
among  them  Mesdames  de  R^musat,  de  Tallouet, 
de  Lauriston,  Ney,  d'Arberg,  Louise  d'Arberg,  after- 
ward the  Countess  de  Lobau,  de  Walsh-S^rent,  de 
Colbert,  Lannes,  Savary,  de  Turenne,  Octave  de 
S%ur,  de  Montalivet,  de  Marescot,  de  Bouill^,  Solar, 
Lascaris,  de  Brignol^,  de  Canisy,  de  Chevreuse,  Vic- 
tor de  Mortemart,  de  Montmorency,  Matignon,  and 
Maret ; 

Twelve  ladies  of  the  palace,  Italians ; 

These  ladies  were  on  duty  every  month,  so  that 
one    Italian    and    two    Frenchwomen   were   always 


138  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTAXT 

together.  The  Emperor  would  not,  at  first,  have 
misses  among  the  ladies  of  the  palace,  but  he  relaxed 
this  regulation  for  Mademoiselle  Louise  d'Arberg, 
since  Madame  the  Countess  de  Lobau,  and  Mademoi- 
selle de  Lu^ay,  who  married  Count  Philippe  de  S^gur, 
author  of  the  fine  history  of  the  Russian  campaign. 
These  two  young  ladies  proved  by  their  prudent  and 
reserved  conduct  that  it  is  possible  to  be  discreet, 
even  at  court ; 

Four  ladies  cVannonce^  Mesdames  Soustras,  Ducrest- 
Villeneuve,  Fdlicit^  Longroy,  and  Egl^  Marchery ; 

Two  chief  lady's-maids,  Mesdames  Roy  and  Marco 
de  Saint-Hilaire,  who  had  under  their  charge  the 
grand  wardrobe  and  the  jewel  cases  ; 

Four  ordinary  lady's-maids ; 

A  reader. 

In  men,  the  personnel  of  the  household  of  Her 
Majesty  the  Empress  was  composed  in  the  sequel  of  : 

A  first  equerry,  Senator  Harville,  fulfilling  the 
functions  of  chevalier  of  honor  ; 

A  first  chamberlain.  General  of  division  Nansouty; 

A  second  chamberlain,  introducer  of  ambassadors, 
M.  de  Beaumont; 

Four  ordinary  chamberlains,  MM.  de  Courtomer, 
Degrave,  Galard  de  B^arn,  Hector  d'Aubusson  de 
La  Feuillade ; 

Four  chief  equerries,  MM.  Corbineau,  Berckeim, 
d'Audenarde,  and  Fouler ; 

A  major-domo-general  of  Her  Majesty's  household, 
M.  Hinguerlot; 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  139 

A  private  secretary,  M.  Deschamps; 

Two  chief  valets  de  chambre,  MM.  Fr^re  and 
Douville  ; 

Four  ordinary  valets  de  chambre ; 

Four  ushers  of  the  chamber ; 

Two  chief  footmen,  MM.  Lesp^rance  and  d'Argens; 

Six  ordinary  footmen  ; 

The  kitchen  and  sanitary  officers  were  those  of  the 
Emperor's  household.  In  addition,  six  of  the  Emper- 
or's pages  were  always  on  duty  near  the  Empress. 

The  first  chaplain  was  M.  Ferdinand  de  Rohan, 
former  Archbishop  of  Cambray. 

Another  decision  of  the  same  epoch  settled  the 
functions  of  the  prefects  of  the  palace.  The  four 
first  prefects  of  the  consular  palace  were  MM.  de 
R^musat,  de  Cramayel  appointed  later  as  introducer 
of  ambassadors  and  master  of  ceremonies ;  de  Lu^ay, 
and  Didelot,  since  prefect  of  Cher. 

Malmaison  no  longer  sufficed  for  the  First  Consul, 
whose  household,  like  that  of  Madame  Bonaparte, 
daily  became  more  numerous.  A  more  extensive 
dwelling  had  become  necessary,  and  the  First  Consul 
decided  on  Saint-Cloud. 

The  inhabitants  of  Saint-Cloud  had  addressed  a 
petition  to  the  legislative  bod}'-,  asking  the  First 
Consul  to  be  so  good  as  to  make  their  chateau  his 
summer  residence,  and  the  Assembly  had  hastened  to 
transmit  it  to  the  First  Consul,  supporting  it,  even, 
by  its  own  entreaties,  and  by  comparisons  which  it 
believed  flattering.     The    General  formally  refused, 


140  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

saying  that  when  he  should  have  acquitted  himself 
of  the  functions  with  which  the  people  had  charged 
him,  he  would  consider  himself  honored  by  a  recom- 
pense a\^'arded  by  tlie  people ;  biit  so  long  as  he 
should  be  chief  of  the  government,  he  would  never 
accept  anything.  In  spite  of  the  determined  tone  of 
this  response,  the  inhabitants  of  Saint-Cloud,  who 
had  the  greatest  interest  in  having  their  request 
granted,  renewed  it  when  the  First  Consul  was  ap- 
pointed consul  for  life,  and  this  time  he  consented 
to  accept  it.  The  expenses  for  repairing  and  fur- 
nishing it  were  immense,  greatly  surpassing  the  esti- 
mates, and  yet  he  was  dissatisfied  with  the  furniture 
and  adornments.  He  complained  to  M.  Charvet, 
concierge  of  Malmaison,  whom  he  had  appointed 
concierge  of  this  new  palace,  and  whom  he  had  di- 
rected to  supervise  the  distribution  of  the  rooms  and 
to  look  after  the  furnishing,  that  the  apartments  pre- 
pared for  him  were  like  those  of  a  kept  ivoman ;  that 
there  was  nothing  in  them  but  bawbles,  and  knick-knacks^ 
and  nothing  of  importance.  On  this  occasion  he  again 
gave  a  proof  of  his  eagerness  to  do  what  was  right, 
without  disturbing  himself  about  prejudices  which 
still  had  much  weight.  Knowing  that  there  were  at 
Saint-Cloud  a  great  number  of  the  former  servitors 
of  Queen  Marie-Antoinette,  he  told  M.  Charvet  to 
offer  them  either  their  former  places  or  pensions  ;  the 
greater  number  resumed  their  places.  In  1814  people 
were  much  less  generous.  All  the  employees  were  sent 
off,  even  those  who  had  served  Marie-Antoinette. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  141 


The  First  Consul  had  not  been  long  installed  in 
Saint-Cloud  when  this  chateau,  once  more  become  a 
sovereign  7'esldence^  was  very  nearly  a  i)rey  to  flames. 
There  was  a  guard-house  under  the  vestibule  of  the 
centre  of  the  palace.  One  night  when  the  soldiers 
had  made  too  much  fire,  the  stove  became  so  hot  that 
an  armchair  which  was  shoved  against  one  of  the 
hot-air  holes  which  warmed  the  salon  took  fire,  and 
the  flame  promptly  communicated  itself  to  all  the 
furniture.  The  officer  of  the  post  noticing  it  imme- 
diately notified  the  concierge,  and  they  ran  to  the 
room  of  General  Duroc,  whom  they  awakened.  The 
General  rose  in  all  haste,  and  recommending  perfect 
silence,  they  organized  a  chain.  He  got  into  the 
reservoir  himself,  together  with  the  concierge,  to 
pass  the  buckets  of  water  to  the  soldiers,  and  in  two 
or  three  hours  the  fire,  which  had  already  devoured 
all  the  furniture,  was  extinct.  It  was  not  until  the 
next  morning  that  the  First  Consul,  Josephine,  Hor- 
tense,  in  a  word,  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  chateau, 
were  apprised  of  this  accident,  and  they  all  testified, 
the  First  Consul  especially,  their  gratitude  for  the 
care  that  had  been  taken  not  to  awaken  them.  To 
prevent  such  accidents,  or  at  least  to  render  them 
less  dangerous  in  future,  the  First  Consul  organized 
a  night  guard  at  Saint-Cloud,  and,  in  the  sequel,  in 
all  his  residences.  This  guard  was  called  the  watch 
chamber. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  First  Consul's  residence 
in  the  palace  of  Saint-Cloud,  he  slept  in  the  same  bed 


142  MEMOIBS  OF  CONSTANT 

with  his  wife.  Etiquette  supervened  later  on,  and  in 
this  respect  somewhat  chilled  conjugal  tenderness.  In 
effect,  the  First  Consul  ended  by  occupying  an  apart- 
ment rather  remote  from  that  of  Madame  Bonaparte. 
To  go  to  her  he  had  to  pass  through  a  long  servants' 
corridor.  The  ladies  of  the  palace,  the  serving 
women,  etc.,  had  rooms  on  either  side  of  it.  When 
the  First  Consul  wished  to  pass  the  night  with  his 
wife,  he  undressed  in  his  own  room,  whence  he  issued 
in  a  dressing-gown  and  a  bandana  handkerchief 
around  his  head.  I  walked  in  front  of  him,  carrying 
a  flambeau.  At  the  end  of  this  corridor  was  a  stair- 
case of  fifteen  or  sixteen  steps  which  led  to  Madame 
Bonaparte's  apartment.  It  was  a  great  joy  for  her 
to  receive  a  visit  from  her  husband ;  the  whole  house 
heard  of  it  the  next  day.  I  see  her  still  saying  to 
every  newcomer,  and  rubbing  her  little  hands :  "  / 
got  up  late  to-day ,  but  you  see  it  is  because  Bonaparte 
came  to  spend  the  night  with  ?ne."  On  that  day  she 
would  be  still  more  amiable  than  usual ;  she  repelled 
nobody,  and  we  could  obtain  whatever  we  wanted. 
For  my  part,  I  have  often  tried  the  experiment. 

One  evening  when  I  was  conducting  the  First 
Consul  to  one  of  these  conjugal  visits,  we  perceived 
in  the  corridor  a  very  well-dressed  young  man  who 
was  coming  out  of  the  room  of  one  of  Madame  Bona- 
parte's women.  He  tried  to  slip  away,  but  the  First 
Consul  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice  :  "  Who  is  there  ? 
where  are  you  going  ?  ivhat  are  you  doing  ?  what  is  your 
game  ?  "     It  was  simply  one  of  Madame  Bonaparte's 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  143 

valets.  Stupefied  by  these  hasty  interrogations,  he 
replied  in  a  frightened  voice  that  he  had  been  exe- 
cuting a  commission  for  Madame  Bonaparte.  "  All 
right,"  returned  the  First  Consul,  "  but  don't  let  me 
find  you  here  again."  Persuaded  that  the  gallant 
would  profit  by  the  lesson,  the  General  did  not  seek 
to  learn  his  name  or  that  of  his  fair  friend. 

That  reminds  me  that  he  was  much  more  severe  in 
regard  to  another  lady's-maid  of  Madame  Bonaparte. 
She  was  young  and  very  pretty,  and  inspired   very 

tender  sentiments  in  two  aides-de-camp,  MM.  R 

and  E .    They  sighed  incessantly  at  her  door,  and 

sent  her  flowers  and  billets  doux.  The  young  girl  —  at 
least  such  was  the  general  opinion  of  the  household  — 
gave  them  nothing  in  return.  Josephine  liked  her 
very  much,  and  jQt  the  First  Consul,  having  noticed 
the  gallantries  of  these  gentlemen,  displayed  great 
anger,  and  had  the  poor  young  woman  sent  away,  in 
spite  of  her  tears  and  the  entreaties  of  Madame  Bona- 
parte and  those  of  the  brave  and  good  Colonel  R 

who  naively  swore  that  the  fault  was  all  on  his  side, 
that  the  poor  little  thing  deserved  nothing  but 
praise,  and  had  never  listened  to  him.  All  was 
unavailing  against  the  resolution  of  the  First  Consul, 
who  replied  to  everything  by  saying :  "  I  will  have 
no  disorders,  no  scandals  in  my  house." 

Whenever  the  First  Consul  made  a  distribution  of 
weapons  of  honor,  there  was  a  banquet  at  the  Tui- 
leries,  to  which  all  were  admitted  indiscriminately,  no 
matter  what  their  grades  might  be,  who  had  shared 


144  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

in  these  rewards.  There  were  sometimes  two  hun- 
dred guests  at  these  dinners,  which  were  served  in  the 
grand  gallery  of  the  chateau.  General  Duroc  was 
master  of  ceremonies,  and  the  First  Consul  was  care- 
ful to  recommend  him  to  intermingle  common  sol- 
diers, colonels,  generals,  etc.  It  was  the  former 
especially  that  he  ordered  the  domestics  to  take  good 
care  of,  and  give  them  plenty  to  eat  and  drink. 
These  were  the  longest  repasts  that  I  ever  saw  given 
by  the  Emperor ;  here  he  showed  a  perfect  amiability 
and  unconstraint ;  he  made  every  effort  to  put  his 
guests  at  their  ease  ;  but  with  a  good  many  of  them 
he  had  trouble  in  doing  so.  Nothing  was  funnier 
than  to  see  these  honest  troopers  holding  themselves 
two  feet  away  from  the  table,  not  daring  to  approach 
either  their  napkin  or  their  bread ;  red  to  their  ears, 
and  their  necks  stretched  towards  their  general,  as  if 
to  receive  the  countersign.  The  First  Consul  would 
make  them  relate  the  lofty  deed  which  had  earned 
them  the  national  reward,  and  sometimes  shouted 
with  laughter  at  their  singular  narrations.  He  per- 
suaded them  to  make  a  good  meal,  and  sometimes 
drank  to  their  health;  but  with  some,  his  encour- 
agements failed  to  overcome  their  timidity,  and  the 
footmen  would  take  away  their  plates  one  after 
another,  without  their  having  touched  them.  This 
constraint  did  not  prevent  them  from  being  full  of  joy 
and  enthusiasm  on  quitting  the  table.  ''An  revob\ 
my  heroes,"  the  First  Consul  would  say  to  them, 
"baptize  those  new-born  babies  for  me  as  soon  as  pos- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  145 

sible  "  (pointing  with  liis  finger  at  their  sabres  of 
honor).  God  knows  that  they  did  not  fail  to  do 
so  when  the  opportunity  came. 

This  kindliness  of  the  First  Consul  toward  com- 
mon soldiers  reminds  me  of  an  anecdote  that  hap- 
pened at  Malmaison,  and  which  gives  another  reply 
to  those  accusations  of  pride  and  severity  that  have 
been  made  against  him. 

The  First  Consul  went  out  very  early  one  morning, 
dressed  in  his  gray  overcoat,  and  accompanied  by 
General  Duroc,  to  walk  in  the  direction  of  the 
machinery  of  Marly.  As  they  were  walking  and 
talking,  they  saw  a  laborer  who  was  tracing  a  furrow 
and  coming  towards  them.  "  Say,  my  good  fellow," 
said  the  First  Consul,  stopping,  "  your  furrow  is  not 
straight;  don't  you  know  your  trade?"  "At  any 
rate,  you  can't  teach  it  to  me,  my  fine  gentleman ; 
you  would  find  it  very  hard  work  to  do  as  well." 
—  "  Nonsense  I  "  "  You  think  so  ?  well,  try  it,"  re- 
plied the  honest  man,  ceding  his  place  to  the  First 
Consul.  The  latter  took  the  handle  of  the  plough, 
and,  urging  on  the  horses,  wanted  to  commence  the 
lesson ;  but  he  did  not  make  a  single  step  in  a 
straight  line,  so  awkwardly  did  he  take  hold.  "  Come, 
come,"  said  the  peasant,  laying  his  hand  on  that  of 
the  General  to  take  back  his  plough,  "  yoiu"  work  is 
good  for  nothing ;  every  one  to  his  trade ;  you  go 
and  take  a  walk,  that  is  your  business."  But  the 
First  Consul  did  not  continue  his  walk  without  pay- 
ing for  the  lesson  in  morals  he  had  just  received  from 

vol..   1.  — L 


146  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

the  laborer.  General  Diiroc  gave  him  two  or  three 
louis  to  reimburse  him  for  the  loss  of  time  they  had 
caused  him.  The  peasant,  astonished  by  this  gener- 
osity, left  his  plough  to  go  and  tell  his  adventure, 
and  on  the  road  met  a  woman  to  Avhom  he  said  that 
he  certainly  thought  he  had  met  two  big  gentlemen 
(^gros  messieurs'),  to  judge  of  them  by  what  he  still 
had  in  his  hand.  The  farmer's  wife,  better  advised, 
asked  him  how  the  two  promenaders  were  dressed, 
and  from  his  description  divined  that  it  was  the  First 
Consul  and  one  of  his  friends.  The  good  man  was 
dumfounded  for  a  time ;  but  the  next  day  he  took 
a  fine  resolution,  and  having  arrayed  himself  in  his 
best  clothes,  he  presented  himself  at  Malmaison,  and 
asked  to  speak  to  the  First  Consul  to  thank  him,  as 
he  said,  for  the  fine  present  he  had  made  him  the  day 
before.  I  went  to  inform  the  First  Consul  of  this 
visit,  and  he  ordered  me  to  introduce  the  laborer.^ 
The  latter,  while  I  was  absent  on  this  errand,  had,  to 
use  his  own  expression,  taken  his  courage  in  both  hands 
to  prepare  himself  for  this  great  interview.  I  found 
him  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  antechamber  (for 


1  The  author  of  the  Memorial  cites  an  anecdote  of  the  Emperor 
at  Saint-Helena,  similar  to  that  I  am  relating  here.  His  Majesty 
professed  the  highest  esteem  for  the  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and 
took  pleasure  in  consulting  them  even  on  matters  foreign  to  their 
occupations,  but  on  which  their  good  sense  and  experience  might 
suggest  to  them  a  sound  opinion.  He  used  to  saj*  that  he  made 
known  to  the  peasants  the  difficnlties  of  his  Council  of  State,  a7id 
communicated  to  the  Council  of  State  the  observations  of  the 
peasants. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  147 

he  had  not  dared  to  sit  down  on  the  benches,  which, 
although  of  the  simplest,  appeared  to  him  magnifi- 
cent), dreaming  of  what  he  \vas  going  to  say  to  the 
First  Consul  to  show  his  gratitude.  I  marched 
before  him,  he  following,  putting  his  feet  down  on 
the  carpet  with  the  utmost  precaution,  and,  when  I 
opened  the  door  of  the  cabinet  for  him,  politely 
urging  me  to  go  in  first.  When  the  First  Consul 
had  nothing  secret  to  say  or  dictate,  he  was  willing 
enough  to  leave  the  door  of  his  cabinet  open.  This 
time  he  made  me  a  sign  not  to  close  it,  so  that  I 
could  see  and  hear  all  that  passed. 

The  honest  laborer  commenced,  on  entering  the 
cabinet,  by  saluting  the  back  of  M.  de  Bourrienne, 
who  could  not  see  him,  occupied  as  he  was  in  writ- 
ing at  a  little  table  placed  in  the  embrasure  of  the 
window.  The  First  Consul  looked  at  him  making 
his  salutes,  threw  himself  back  in  his  armchair,  one 
of  whose  arms  he  was,  as  usual,  tormenting  with  a 
penknife.  At  last,  however,  he  began  to  speak  in 
this  fashion : 

"Well,  my  good  fellow  "  (the  peasant  turned  round, 
recognized  him  and  saluted  again),  "  well,"  pursued 
the  First  Consul,  "  has  the  harvest  been  good  this 
year?" 

"  But,  saving  your  presence,  Citizen  my  General, 
it  has  not  been  so  bad  as  all  that." 

"To  make  the  earth  bring  forth,"  resumed  the 
First  Consul,  "  it  must  be  dug  up ;  isn't  that  so  ? 
Fine  gentlemen  are  good  for  nothing  at  that  work." 


148  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

"Without  offence  to  you,  General,  the  hands  of 
the  bourgeois  are  too  soft  to  manage  a  plough.  It 
needs  a  solid  fist  to  move  those  tools." 

"  That's  true,"  responded  the  First  Consul,  smiling. 
"But  big  and  strong  as  you  are,  you  ought  to  be 
able  to  handle  something  besides  a  plough.  A 
good  musket,  for  example,  or  else  the  hilt  of  a 
fine  sabre." 

The  laborer  drew  himself  up  with  an  air  of  pride : 
"  General,  in  my  time  I  have  done  like  the  others. 

I   had  been  married   five   years   when  those   b 

of  Prussians  (pardon,  General)  entered  Landrecies. 
The  requisition  came ;  they  gave  me  a  musket  and 
a  cartridge-box  at  the  town  house,  and  march !  Ah 
well,  we  were  not  equipped  like  those  big  fellows  I 
saw  just  now  on  entering  the  court." 

He  meant  the  grenadiers  of  the  consular  guard. 

"  Why  did  you  quit  the  service  ?  "  continued  the 
First  Consul,  who  seemed  to  take  great  interest  in 
this  conversation. 

"  Faith,  General,  every  one  in  his  turn.  There  are 
sabre  thrusts  enough  for  all.  One  hit  me  here " 
(the  worthy  laborer  stooped  and  showed  his  head, 
pushing  aside  the  hair),  "and  after  several  weeks 
in  the  hospital,  they  gave  me  leave  to  return  to  my 
wife  and  my  plough." 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?  " 

"  1  have  three.  General ;  two  boys  and  a  girl." 

"You  must  make  a  soldier  of  your  oldest  boy. 
If  he  behaves   himself   well,  I  will  take   charge   of 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  149 

him.  Adieu,  my  good  fellow ;  when  you  have  need 
of  me  come  back  to  see  me."  Thereupon  the  First 
Consul  rose,  asked  M.  de  Bourrienne  for  some 
louis,  which  he  added  to  those  the  laborer  had 
already  received  from  him,  and  ordered  me  to  take 
him  away.  We  were  already  in  the  antechamber, 
when  the  First  Consul  called  the  laborer  back  to 
say  : 

"Were  you  at  Fleurus?" 

"  Yes,  General." 

"Could  you  tell  me  the  name  of  your  general- 
in-chief?" 

"  Well,  I  should  think  so !  It  was  General 
Jourdan." 

"  Good ;  au  revoir."  And  I  led  the  old  soldier  of 
the  Republic  away,  enchanted  with  his  reception. 


CHAPTER  XI 

The  envoy  of  the  Bey  of  Tunis  and  the  Arabian  horses  —  Bad  faith 
of  England  —  Journey  to  Boulogne  —  In  Flanders  and  Belgium 

—  Continual  jaunts  —  The  author  acts  as  first  valet  de  chambre 

—  Constant's  debut  as  barber  to  the  First  Consul  —  Apprentice- 
ship —  Plebeian  chins  —  The  eagle  glance  —  The  First  Consul 
difficult  to  shave  —  Constant  persuades  him  to  shave  himself  — 
His  reasons  for  doing  so  —  Imprudent  confidence  of  the  First 
Consul  —  The  first  lesson  —  The  cuts  —  Slight  reproaches  — 
The  First  Consul's  avrkward  way  of  holding  his  razor  —  The 
chiefs  and  the  harangues  —  Arrival  of  the  First  Consul  at 
Boulogne  —  Preludes  to  the  formation  of  the  camp  of  Boulogne 

—  Speech  of  twenty  fathers  of  families  —  Naval  combat  gained 
by  Admiral  Bruix  against  the  English  —  The  dinner  and  the 
victory  —  The  English  and  the  Iron  Coast  —  Projected  assault 
upon  the  pei'son  of  the  First  Consul  —  Eapidity  of  the  journey 

—  The  minister  of  police — Presents  offered  by  the  cities  — 
Works  commanded  by  the  First  Consul  —  Munificence  —  The 
First  Consul  a  bad  driver  —  Pallor  of  Cambac6r6s  —  The  swoon 

—  The  Gospel  precept — Dreamless  sleep  —  The  Ottoman  ambas- 
sador—  The  cashmere  shawls  —  The  Mussulman  at  prayers  and 
at  the  theatre. 

A  T  the  beginning  of  tins  year  (1803)  there 
arrived  in  Paris  an  envoy  from  Tunis,  who 
presented  the  First  Consul,  in  the  name  of  the  Bey, 
with  ten  Arabian  horses.  The  Bey  was  then  in 
dread  of  the  wrath  of  England,  and  he  was  trying  to 
secure  France  as  a  powerful  ally  who  would  be  able 
to  protect  him  ;  he  could  not  have  done  better,  for 

150 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  151 

everything  announced  the  rupture  of  that  Peace  of 
Amiens  so  greatly  rejoiced  over  by  all  Europe. 
England  kept  none  of  its  promises  and  executed  not 
a  single  article  of  the  treaty ;  on  liis  side,  the  First 
Consul,  revolted  by  such  bad  faith,  and  unwilling 
to  be  duped  by  it,  armed  publicly,  ordered  the  com- 
plement of  officers  to  be  filled  up  and  a  new  levy  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  conscripts.  War 
was  officially  declared  in  June  ;  but  there  had  been 
hostilities  before  that. 

At  the  end  of  this  month  the  First  Consul  made  a 
journey  to  Boulogne,  and  visited  Picardy,  Flanders, 
and  Belgium,  to  organize  the  expedition  he  med- 
itated against  the  English  and  to  put  the  northern 
coasts  in  a  state  of  defence.  Returning  to  Paris  in 
August,  he  left  it  again  in  November  for  a  second 
visit  to  Boulogne.  These  repeated  jaunts  were 
too  much  for  M.  Hambart,  first  valet  de  chambre, 
who  had  long  been  sick.  Hence,  wdien  the  First 
Consul  had  been  on  the  point  of  setting  out  on 
his  first  tour  in  the  north,  M.  Hambart  had  asked 
his  permission  not  to  be  of  the  party,  alleging,  which 
was  very  true,  the  bad  state  of  his  health.  "  That 
is  the  way  you  are,"  said  the  First  Consul,  "always 
sick  and  complaining !  And  if  you  stay  here,  who 
is  going  to  shave  me  ? "  "  General,"  replied  M. 
Hambart,  "  Constant  knows  how  to  shave  as  well 
as  I  do."  I  was  present  and  occupied  at  that  very 
moment  in  dressing  the  First  Consul.  He  looked 
at    me   and  said :    "  Eh !    monsieur  le    drole,   since 


152  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

you  are  so  clever,  you  may  make  your  trial  on 
the  spot;  we  shall  see  how  you  will  go  at  it."  I 
knew  the  mishap  of  poor  Hdbert,  which  I  have 
previously  related,  and  not  wishing  to  experience 
one  like  it,  I  had  long  been  learning  to  shave.  I 
had  paid  a  barber  to  teach  me  his  trade,  and  had 
even,  in  my  leisure  moments,  apprenticed  myself 
at  his  shop,  where  I  had  shaved  all  his  customers 
indiscriminately.  The  chins  of  these  worthy  people 
had  had  somewhat  to  suffer  before  my  hand  was 
light  enough  for  me  to  dare  to  bring  my  razor  near 
the  consular  chin.  But  by  dint  of  reiterated 
experiences  on  the  beards  of  the  vulgar,  I  had 
arrived  at  a  degree  of  address  which  inspired  me  with 
the  greatest  confidence.  Hence,  on  the  First  Con- 
sul's order,  I  got  ready  the  hot  water  and  soap-ball, 
opened  the  razor  boldly,  and  began  the  operation. 
Just  as  I  was  about  to  bring  the  razor  to  the  First 
Consul's  face,  he  rose  brusquely,  turned  round,  and 
fixed  his  two  eyes  on  me  with  an  expression  of 
severity  and  interrogation  which  I  cannot  describe. 
Seeing  that  I  remained  undisturbed,  he  sat  down 
again,  saying  with  more  gentleness :  "  Continue ; " 
which  I  did  with  sufiicient  address  to  satisfy  him 
very  well.  When  I  had  finished  he  said  to  me: 
"  Hereafter  it  is  you  that  shall  shave  me."  And,  in 
fact,  from  that  time,  he  would  have  no  other  barber. 
Thenceforward  my  duties  became  much  more  active ; 
for  every  day  I  was  obliged  to  make  my  appearance 
to  shave  the  First  Consul,  and  I  can   affirm  that  it 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  163 

was  no  easy  thing  to  do.  During  the  ceremony  of 
removing  his  beard  he  frequently  talked,  read  the 
papers,  moved  round  on  his  chair,  turned  suddenly, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  use  the  greatest  precaution  to 
avoid  wounding  him.  Luckily,  this  misfortune  never 
happened  to  me.  When  l)y  chance  he  did  not  talk,  he 
remained  immovable  and  stiff  as  a  statue,  and  one 
could  not  make  him  lower,  raise,  or  bend  his  head,  as 
would  have  been  necessary  in  order  to  accomplish 
the  task  more  easily.  He  had  also  one  singular 
mania,  which  was  to  have  only  one  side  of  his 
face  lathered  and  shaved  at  a  time.  He  would 
never  let  me  pass  to  the  other  side  until  the  first 
was  finished.  The  First  Consul  found  this  more 
convenient. 

Later  on,  when  I  had  become  his  first  valet  de 
chambre,  when  he  deigned  to  treat  me  with  the 
greatest  kindness,  and  I  had  ils  much  freedom  of 
speech  with  him  as  his  rank  permitted,  I  took  the 
liberty  of  persuading  him  to  shave  himself ;  for,  as 
I  have  just  said,  being  unwilling  to  allow  himself 
to  be  shaved  by  anybody  but  me,  he  was  obliged  to 
wait  to  have  me  sent  for,  with  the  army  espe- 
cially, where  he  Avas  not  always  regular  about  ris- 
ing. He  refused  for  a  long  time  to  follow  my 
advice,  and  whenever  I  repeated  it :  "  Ah  ha !  Mr. 
Laziness !  "  he  would  say  to  me,  laughing,  "  wouldn't 
you  be  very  glad  to  have  me  do  half  your  work  ?  " 
At  last  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  convince  him 
of  the  disinterestedness   and  wisdom  of  my  advice. 


154  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

The  fact  is  that  I  wanted  very  much  to  persuade 
him  ;  for,  representing  to  myself  what  would  neces- 
sarily happen  if  an  indispensable  absence,  a  malady, 
or  any  other  motive  should  keep  me  at  a  distance 
from  the  First  Consul,  I  could  not  think  without  a 
shudder  that  his  life  would  be  at  the  mercy  of  the 
first  comer.  For  him,  I  am  sure  he  never  thought  of 
this  ;  for,  whatever  stories  have  been  told  about  his 
distrust,  it  is  certain  that  he  never  took  any  precau- 
tions against  the  snares  that  treachery  might  lay  for 
him.  His  confidence  on  this  point  verged  even  on 
imprudence.  Hence  all  who  loved  him,  and  they 
were  all  who  surrounded  him,  sought  to  remedy  this 
lack  of  precaution  by  all  the  vigilance  of  which  they 
were  capable.  I  need  not  say  that  it  was  above  all 
this  very  solicitude  for  the  precious  life  of  my  master 
which  induced  me  to  insist  on  the  advice  I  had  given 
him  to  shave  himself. 

The  first  times  when  he  essayed  to  put  my  lessons 
into  practice,  it  was  more  disquieting  than  laughable 
to  see  the  Emperor  (he  was  that  then),  who  did  not 
know  how  to  hold  the  razor,  in  spite  of  the  principles 
I  had  just  laid  down,  illustrating  them  by  reiterated 
examples,  seize  it  by  the  handle  and  apply  it  per- 
pendicularly to  his  cheek  without  laying  it  flat.  He 
would  make  an  abrupt  slash  with  it,  never  failing  to 
cut  himself,  and  then  draw  back  his  hand  as  quickly 
as  possible,  exclaiming :  "  You  see  very  well,  you 
rogue !  you  are  the  cause  of  my  cutting  myself  !  " 
Then  I  would  take  the  razor  and  finish  the  operation. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  155 

The  next  day,  the  same  scene  as  the  day  before,  but 
with  less  bloodshed.  Every  day  increased  the 
Emperor's  skill ;  and  he  ended,  by  dint  of  repeated 
lessons,  in  being  able  to  dispense  with  me.  Only  he 
still  cut  himself  occasionally,  and  then  he  would 
begin  again  to  scold  me  a  little ;  but  in  a  bantering 
way  and  kindly.  Besides,  from  the  manner  in  which 
he  went  at  it,  and  which  he  would  not  change,  it  was 
very  possible  that  he  would  never  avoid  cutting  him- 
self frequently ;  for  he  shaved  himself  from  top  to 
bottom,  and  not  from  bottom  to  top  like  everybody 
else,  and  this  bad  method,  which  all  my  efforts  could 
never  alter,  added  to  the  habitual  abruptness  of  his 
movements,  made  it  impossible  for  me  not  to  shudder 
every  time  I  saw  him  take  his  razor. 

Madame  Bonaparte  accompanied  the  First  Consul 
on  the  first  of  these  journeys.  Like  that  to  Lyons,  it 
was  a  continual  series  of  fetes  and  triumphs. 

In  expectation  of  the  arrival  of  the  First  Consul, 
the  inhabitants  of  Boulogne  had  raised  triumphal 
arches  all  the  way  from  the  Montreuil  gate  to  the 
temporary  building  erected  for  him  at  the  camp  at 
the  right.  Each  arch  was  of  foliage,  and  bore  the 
names  of  the  combats  and  pitched  battles  in  which  he 
had  been  victorious.  These  domes  and  arcades  of 
verdure  and  flowers  presented  an  admirable  sight. 
One  of  them,  much  higher  than  the  others,  rose  in 
the  middle  of  the  rue  de  1'  Ecu  (the  chief  street) ;  the 
^lite  of  the  city  were  assembled  around  it ;  more  than 
a  hundred  young  persons  adorned  with  flowers,  chil- 


156  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

dren,  fine  old  men,  and  a  large  number  of  veterans 
who  had  not  been  detained  in  camp  by  military  duty, 
were  awaitinsf  the  arrival  of  the  First  Consul  with 
impatience.  As  he  approached,  rejoicing  cannons 
announced  to  the  English,  whose  fleet  was  still  lying 
in  Boulogne  waters,  the  appearance  of  Napoleon  on 
the  shore  where  the  formidable  army  he  had  resolved 
to  throw  into  England  was  assembling. 

The  First  Consul,  who  had  been  mounted  on  a 
little  gray  horse  which  had  the  vivacity  of  a  squirrel, 
alighted,  and,  followed  by  his  brilliant  staff,  he  ad- 
dressed these  paternal  words  to  the  city  authorities : 
"  I  come  to  assure  the  welfare  of  France ;  the 
sentiments  you  manifest,  your  tokens  of  gratitude,  all 
affect  me ;  I  shall  never  forget  my  entry  into  Bou- 
logne, which  I  have  chosen  as  the  centre  of  reunion 
for  my  armies.  Citizens,  do  not  be  alarmed  by  this 
rendezvous ;  it  is  that  of  the  defenders  of  the 
country,  and  presently  of  the  conquerors  of  haughty 
England."  The  First  Consul  continued  his  march, 
surrounded  by  the  whole  population,  who  only  left 
him  at  the  door  of  his  baraque,  where  more  than 
thirty  generals  received  him.  The  firing  of  cannons, 
the  ringing  of  bells,  and  shouts  of  joy  lasted  until 
nightfall. 

The  next  day  after  our  arrival,  the  First  Consul 
visited  the  Pont-de-Briques,  a  little  village  situated 
half  a  league  from  Boulogne  ;  a  farmer  read  him  the 
following  coni[)liinent : 

"  General,  we  twenty  are  fathers  of  families  who 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  167 

offer  you  a  score  of  big  fellows  who  are  and  always 
will  be  at  your  orders :  take  them  with  you,  General, 
they  may  aid  you  serviceably  when  j^ou  go  to  Eng- 
land. As  for  us,  we  are  fulfilling  another  duty; 
our  arms  will  cultivate  the  earth  so  that  bread  shall 
not  be  lacking  to  the  heroes  who  are  to  crush  the 
English." 

Napoleon  smilingly  thanked  the  outspoken  coun- 
tryman, glanced  at  a  small  country  house  built  be- 
side the  high  road,  and  said,  addressing  himself  to 
General  Berthier:  "I  will  have  ray  headquarters 
established  there."  Then  he  spurred  his  horse  and 
rode  away.  A  general  and  several  officers  remained 
to  execute  his  order,  and  the  First  Consul  returned 
the  same  night  to  sleep  at  Pont-de-Briques. 

I  was  told  at  Boulogne  the  details  of  a  naval  com- 
bat fought  a  short  time  before  our  arrival  between 
the  French  fleet,  commanded  by  Admiral  Bruix,  and 
the  English  squadron  with  which  Nelson  was  block- 
ing the  port  of  Boulogne.  I  will  tell  them  as  they 
were  told  to  me,  as  I  thought  the  convenient  man- 
ner in  which  the  French  admiral  directed  the 
operations  of  his  seamen  very  curious. 

About  two  hundred  vessels,  both  gunboats  and 
bomb-ketches,  flat-boats  and  pinnaces,  formed  the 
line  of  defence  ;  the  coast  and  the  forts  were  bris- 
tling with  batteries.  Several  frigates  detached  them- 
selves from  the  enemy's  station,  and,  preceded  by 
two  or  three  brigs,  got  into  battle  array  in  front  of 
the   line   and   within   range  of   the   cannon  of   our 


158  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

flotilla.  Then  the  fight  began,  and  the  balls  came 
from  every  direction.  Nelson,  who  had  promised 
the  destruction  of  the  flotilla,  reinforced  his  line  of 
battle  by  two  other  ranks  of  vessels  and  frigates ; 
thus  placed  in  echelon,  they  fought  with  a  great  su- 
periority of  forces.  For  more  than  seven  hours, 
the  sea,  covered  with  fire  and  smoke,  offered  to  the 
whole  population  of  Boulogne  the  superb  and  fright- 
ful spectacle  of  a  naval  combat  where  more  than 
eighteen  hundred  cannons  were  discharged  at  once. 
Nelson's  genius  could  do  nothing  against  our  sailors 
and  soldiers.  Admiral  Bruix  was  in  his  barrack, 
which  was  placed  near  the  coast-telegraph  of  signals. 
He  fought  Nelson  from  there,  drinking  with  his 
staff  and  several  ladies  of  Boulogne  whom  he  had 
invited  to  dinner.  The  guests  were  chanting  the 
first  victories  of  the  First  Consul,  while  the  Admiral, 
without  leaving  the  table,  manoeuvred  the  flotilla 
by  means  of  the  signals  he  ordered.  Nelson,  impa- 
tient to  conquer,  brought  forward  all  his  naval  forces, 
but  the  wind  being  against  him,  he  could  not  keep 
the  promise  he  had  made  in  London  to  burn  our 
flotilla.  Far  from  that,  several  of  his  vessels  were 
badly  damaged,  and  Admiral  Bruix,  seeing  the 
English  drawing  off,  shouted  victory  while  pouring 
champagne  for  his  guests.  The  French  flotilla  had 
not  suffered  much,  while  the  enemy's  squadron  had 
been  ruined  by  the  continual  firing  of  our  stationary 
batteries.  On  that  day,  the  English  recognized  that 
it  would  be   impossible  for   them  to  approach   the 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  169 

coast  of  Boulogne,  wliicli  tliey  have  since  surnamed 
the  Iron  Coast  (^Cote  de  Fer^. 

When  the  First  Consul  quitted  Boulogne,  he  was 
to  go  to  Abbeville  and  remain  there  twenty-four 
hours.  The  mayor  of  that  town  had  neglected  noth- 
ing to  receive  him  worthily.  Abbeville  was  superb 
on  that  day.  The  most  beautiful  trees  in  a  neighbor- 
ing wood  had  been  dug  up  by  their  roots  to  form 
avenues  in  all  the  streets  through  which  the  First 
Consul  was  to  pass.  Several  inhabitants  who  owned 
magnificent  gardens,  had  sent  their  rarest  shrubs  to 
range  along  his  route.  Carpets  from  the  manufac- 
tory of  MM.  Hecquet-Dorval  were  stretched  on  the 
ground  to  be  trodden  by  liis  horses.  An  unexpected 
circumstance  suddenly  disturbed  the  fete :  a  courier, 
expedited  by  the  minister  of  police,  arrived  just  as 
we  were  approaching  the  city.  The  minister  warned 
the  First  Consul  that  they  meant  to  assassinate  him 
two  leagues  from  there ;  the  day  and  hour  were 
indicated. 

To  frustrate  the  intended  attack  against  his  person, 
the  First  Consul  passed  through  the  city  on  a  gallop, 
and,  followed  by  several  lancers,  went  to  the  place 
where  he  was  to  be  attacked;  there  he  made  a  halt 
of  about  lialf  an  hour,  ate  some  Abbeville  biscuits, 
and  went  back  again.  The  assassins  were  tricked; 
their  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  next  da3^ 

The  First  Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  contin- 
ued their  journey  across  Picardy,  Flanders,  and  the 
Low  Countries.     War  vessels  were  daily  offered  him 


160  MEMOmS   OF  CONSTANT 

by  the  different  councils-general.  They  continued 
to  address  him  and  to  present  him  with  the  keys  of 
cities  as  if  he  were  exercising  royal  power.  Amiens, 
Dunkirk,  Lille,  Bruges,  Ghent,  Brussels,  Liege, 
Namur,  distinguished  themselves  by  the  brilliancy 
of  the  reception  they  gave  the  illustrious  travellers. 
The  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Antwerp  presented 
the  First  Consul  with  six  magnificent  bay  horses. 
Likewise  the  First  Consul  left  behind  him  service- 
able marks  of  his  passage.  By  his  orders  the  works 
were  at  once  begun  for  cleaning  and  improving  the 
port  of  Amiens.  In  this  city,  and  in  others  when  it 
was  going  on,  he  visited  the  exhibition  of  industrial 
products,  encouraging  the  manufacturers  by  his 
counsels  and  assisting  them  by  his  decrees.  At 
Li^ge  he  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  prefect  of  the 
Ourthe  a  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  francs  for 
the  repair  of  the  houses  burned  by  the  Austrians  in 
this  department,  during  the  first  wars  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Antwerp  owed  to  him  its  inner  port,  its  basins, 
and  its  dockyards.  At  Brussels,  he  ordered  the 
junction  of  the  Rhine,  the  Meuse,  and  the  Scheldt  by 
a  canal.  He  caused  a  stone  bridge  to  be  thrown 
across  the  Meuse  at  Givet,  and,  at  Sedan,  the  widow 
Rousseau  received  from  him  a  sum  of  sixty  thousand 
francs  for  the  rebuilding  of  her  factory,  which  iiad 
been  destroyed  by  fire.  In  fine,  I  could  not  enumer- 
ate all  the  benefits,  public  or  private,  which  the 
First  Consul  and  Madame  Bonaparte  strewed  along 
their  route. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  161 


Shortly  after  our  return  to  Saint-Cloud,  the  First 
Consul,  being  out  in  a  carriage  with  liis  wife  and 
M.  Cambac^res,  took  the  notion  to  drive  four-in-haud 
the  horses  attached  to  it,  which  were  those  that  had 
been  given  to  him  by  the  inhabitants  of  Antwerp. 
He  mounted  on  the  box,  therefore,  and  took  the  reins 
from  the  hands  of  C^sar,  his  coachman,  who  got  up 
behind.  They  were  just  then  in  the  horseshoe  alley, 
which  goes  by  way  of  the  Breteuil  pavilion  and  Ville- 
d'Avray.  It  says  in  the  3Temorial  of  Saint-Helena, 
that  the  aide-de-camp,  having  awhvardlt/  crossed  the 
horses,  made  them  run  away.  Cdsar,  who  gave  me 
all  the  details  of  this  lamentable  adventure,  did  not 
say  a  A\ord  about  the  aide-de-camp ;  and,  in  all 
conscience,  no  other  awkwardness  was  required  to 
upset  the  carriage  than  that  of  a  coachman  as  inex- 
perienced as  the  First  Consul.  Besides,  the  horses 
were  young  and  spirited,  and  Cesar  himself  needed 
all  his  skill  to  drive  them.  Not  feeling  his  hand  any 
longer,  they  started  off  at  a  gallop ;  and  C^sar, 
seeing  the  new  direction  they  were  taking  towards 
the  right,  began  to  shout :  To  the  left !  with  the  voice 
of  a  stentor.  Consul  Cambac(;res,  paler  than  ever, 
took  very  little  pains  to  reassure  the  frightened 
jMadame  Bonaparte,  but  cried  with  all  his  might: 
"Stop!  stop!  you  are  going  to  smash  us!"  That 
might  easily  have  happened ;  but  the  First  Consul 
heard  nothing,  and  moreover  he  was  no  longer 
master  of  his  horses.  On  arriving,  or  rather  on 
being  dragged  to  the  gate,  he    could    not   take  the 


vol..  I.  —  M 


162  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

middle  of  the  road,  but  ran  against  a  post  and  fell 
out  heavily.  Fortunately  the  horses  stopped.  The 
First  Consul,  thrown  ten  feet  and  striking  on  his 
stomach,  fainted  and  did  not  come  to  himself  until 
some  one  touched  him  to  pick  him  up.  IMadame 
Bonaparte  and  the  Second  Consul  received  only  slight 
contusions,  but  the  good  Josephine  had  suffered 
horribly  from  anxiety  about  her  husband.  However, 
though  he  had  been  rudely  shaken  up,  he  would  not 
be  bled,  and  contented  himself  with  being  rubbed 
with  cologne  water,  his  favorite  remedy.  That  night, 
on  going  to  bed,  he  talked  gayly  about  his  mishap 
and  the  extreme  fright  which  his  colleague  had  dis- 
played, and  ended  by  saying:  '■^ We  must  render  to 
Cesar  the  things  that  are  Cesar's;  let  him  keep  his 
whip,  and  every  one  stick  to  his  trade."  He  ad- 
mitted, however,  in  spite  of  his  pleasantries,  that  he 
had  never  thought  himself  so  near  death,  and  even 
that  he  deemed  himself  dead  for  some  seconds.  I  do 
not  remember  whether  it  was  on  this  occasion  or 
on  some  other  that  I  heard  the  Emperor  say  that 
death  ivas  7iothing  hut  a  sleep  ivithout  dreams. 

In  October  of  this  year  the  First  Consul  received 
in  public  audience  Haled-Effendi,  ambassador  of  the 
Ottoman  Porte. 

The  arrival  of  the  Turkish  ambassador  made  a 
sensation  at  the  Tuileries,  because  he  brought  a 
great  quantity  of  cashmere  shawls  to  tlie  First  Consul ; 
people  were  sure  they  would  be  distributed,  and  each 
woman  flattered  herself  on  being  favorably  treated. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  163 

I  think  that  without  his  strange  costume,  and  es- 
pecially without  his  cashmeres,  he  would  have  pro- 
duced very  little  effect  on  persons  accustomed  to  see 
sovereign  princes  pay  their  court  to  the  head  of  the 
government  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Even  his 
costume  was  not  more  remarkable  than  that  of 
Roustan,  to  which  we  were  accustomed,  and  as  to 
his  obeisances,  they  were  hardly  more  profound 
than  those  of  the  ordinary  courtiers  of  the  First 
Consul.  At  Paris,  they  say  that  the  enthusiasm 
lasted  longer.  'Tis  so  droll  to  be  a  Turk!  Some 
ladies  had  the  honor  to  see  the  bearded  ambassador 
eat ;  he  was  polite  and  even  gallant  with  them,  and 
gave  them  several  presents  which  were  much  boasted 
of.  His  manners  were  not  too  Mussulman-like,  and 
he  was  not  afraid  to  see  our  pretty  Parisians  without 
a  veil  on  their  faces.  One  day,  which  he  spent 
almost  entirely  at  Saint-Cloud,  I  saw  him  making 
his  prayer.  It  was  in  the  court  of  honor,  on  a  large 
parapet  bordered  b}^  a  stone  balustrade.  The  am- 
bassador had  carpets  stretched  alongside  the  apart- 
ments which  were  afterwards  those  of  the  King  of 
Rome,  and  there  he  made  his  genuflections  in  sight 
of  several  members  of  the  household,  who,  out  of 
discretion,  kept  themselves  behind  the  shutters.  In 
the  evening  he  was  present  at  the  theatre.  I  think 
they  played  Zaire  or  Maliomet ;  he  did  not  under- 
stand a  word. 


CHAPTER  XII 

Another  journey  to  Boulogne  —  Visit  to  the  flotilla  and  review  of 
the  troops — The  line's  jealousy  of  tlie  guard  —  The  First  Consul 
at  the  camp  —  The  General's  anger  with  the  soldiers ^ — -Boredom 
of  the  officers  and  pleasures  of  the  camp  —  Timidity  of  the 
Boulognese  women  —  Jealousy  of  the  husbands  —  Visits  of  the 
women  of  Paris,  Abbeville,  Dunkirk,  and  Amiens  to  the  camp  of 
Boulogne  —  Soirees  at  the  house  of  the  mistress  of  Colonel 
Joseph  Bonaparte  —  Generals  Soult,  Saint-Hilaire,  and  Andr^ossy 

—  The  clever  woman  and  the  two  happy  lovers  —  Curiosity  of 
the  First  Consul  —  The  First  Consul  taken  for  a  war  commis- 
sioner—  Commencement  of  General  Bertrand's  favor  —  Regula- 
tor Arcambal  and  the  two  visitors  —  The  First  Consul  spying 
on  his  brother,  who  pretends  not  to  recognize  him  —  The  First 
Consul  and  the  innocent  games  —  The  First  Consi;l  has  nothing 
to  give  as  a  forfeit  —  Note  from  the  First  Consul  —  Xaval  combat 

—  The  First  Consul  commands  a  manoeuvre  and  makes  a  mistake 

—  Error  recognized  and  silence  of  the  General  —  The  First 
Consul  points  the  cannons  and  has  the  bullets  reddened  —  Fight 
between  two  Picards  —  Continual  explosion  —  Dinner  to  the  roar 
of  cannons — English  frigate  dismasted  and  brig  run  down. 

IN  November  of  this  year,  the  First  Consul  re- 
turned to  Boulogne  to  visit  the  flotilla  and 
review  some  troops  Avliich  were  already  assembled 
there,  in  the  camps  destined  for  the  army  with  which 
he  proposed  to  descend  on  England.  I  have  pre- 
served some  notes  and  still  more  souvenirs  of  my 
different  sojourns  in  Boulogne.  Never  did  the 
Emperor  display  elsewhere  a  greater  military  power. 

164 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  165 

Never  did  any  one  see  assembled,  on  one  spot,  troops 
that  were  finer  or  readier  to  march  at  the  slightest 
sign  from  their  chief.  It  is  not  surprising,  then, 
that  I  have  found  in  my  memory  of  this  epoch  details 
which  no  one,  I  think,  has  yet  thought  of  publishing. 
Nor  has  any  person,  if  I  do  not  deceive  myself,  been 
in  a  better  position  to  know  them  than  I.  As  to  that, 
the  reader  will  soon  be  able  to  judge  for  himself. 

In  the  different  reviews  held  by  the  First  Consul, 
he  seemed  to  wish  to  excite  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
soldiers  and  their  attachment  to  his  person,  by  the 
care  with  which  he  seized  every  occasion  to  flatter 
their  self-love. 

One  day,  having  particularly  remarked  the  excel- 
lent appearance  of  the  36th  and  57th  regiments  of 
the  line  and  of  the  10th  light  infantry,  he  made 
all  the  chiefs  come  out  of  the  ranks,  from  the 
corporals  to  the  colonels,  and  going  amongst  them, 
he  showed  his  satisfaction  by  reminding  them  of  the 
occasions  when,  under  the  fire  of  cannon,  he  had 
also  made  complimentary  remarks  on  these  three 
brave  regiments.  He  complimented  the  non-com- 
missioned officers  on  the  good  training  of  the  soldiers, 
and  the  captains  and  chiefs  of  battalion  on  the 
ensemble  and  the  precision  of  the  manoeuvres.  In  a 
word,  each  one  had  his  share  of  praise. 

This  flattering  distinction  did  not  excite  the  jeal- 
ousy of  the  other  army  corps;  each  regiment  had 
received  that  day  its  greater  or  lesser  portion  of 
compliments,  and  when  the  review  was  ended,  they 


1G6  JIEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

returned  peaceably  to  their  cantonments.  But  the 
soldiers  of  the  36th,  57th,  and  10th,  very  proud 
of  having  been  favored  so  signally,  went  in  the 
afternoon  to  display  their  triumph  in  an  out- 
of-town  caf^  frequented  by  the  mounted  grenadiers 
of  the  guard.  They  began  by  quiet  drinking,  talk- 
ing about  campaigns,  cities  that  had  been  talcen,  the 
First  Consul,  and  finally  the  morning's  review ;  then 
some  young  men  of  Boulogne,  who  had  mingled 
with  the  drinkers,  took  the  notion  of  singing  some 
very  recently  composed  couplets,  in  which  the  brav- 
ery and  the  exploits  of  the  three  regiments  were 
lauded  to  the  skies,  without  a  word  being  said  of 
the  rest  of  the  army,  not  even  of  the  guard;  and 
it  was  in  the  favorite  cafe  of  the  guard  that  these 
couplets  were  sung !  The  latter  at  first  maintained 
a  gloomy  silence ;  but  presently,  pushed  too  far, 
they  loudly  protested  against  these  verses,  which 
they  declared  detestable.  The  quarrel  began  in  a 
very  lively  fashion ;  there  was  a  good  deal  of  shout- 
ing, they  insulted  each  other,  and  then  separated, 
but  without  too  much  noise,  giving  a  rendezvous 
for  the  next  morning  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  en- 
virons of  Marquise,  a  little  village  two  leagues  from 
Boulogne.  It  was  very  late  in  the  evening  when 
the  soldiers  left  the  cafij. 

More  than  two  hundred  grenadiers  of  the  guard 
repaired  separately  to  the  place  of  rendezvous,  and 
found  the  ground  occupied  by  a  nearly  equal  num- 
ber   of    adversaries    of    the    3Gth,    57th,    and    10th. 


i 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  167 


Without  explanations,  without  uproar,  each  took 
his  sabre  in  his  hand,  and  fought  during  more 
than  an  hour  with  appalling  coolness.  One  Mar- 
tin, a  grenadier  of  the  guard,  a  man  of  gigantic 
stature,  killed  with  his  own  hand  seven  or  eight 
soldiers  of  the  10th.  They  would  probably  all  have 
been  massacred  if  General  Saint-IIilaire,  apprised 
too  late  of  this  sanguinary  quarrel,  had  not  at  once 
sent  out  a  regiment  of  cavalry  which  put  a  stop  to 
the  fighting.  The  grenadiers  had  lost  ten  men, 
and  the  soldiers  of  the  line  thirteen ;  the  wounded 
on  both  sides  were  very  many. 

The  First  Consul  went  to  the  camp  the  next 
morning,  had  the  provocators  of  this  terrible  scene 
brought  before  him,  and  said  to  them  in  a  severe 
tone  :  "  I  know  why  you  fought ;  several  brave  men 
have  succumbed  in  a  struggle  unworthy  of  them  and 
of  you.  You  shall  be  punished.  I  have  ordered  that 
the  verses  which  were  the  cause  of  so  many  misfort- 
unes shall  be  printed.  I  intend  that  in  learning 
your  punishment,  the  Boulognese  shall  know  that 
you  have  forfeited  the  esteem  of  your  brothers  in 
arms." 

Meanwhile  the  troops,  and  especially  the  ofHcers, 
began  to  be  tired  of  their  stay  in  Boulogne,  a  city 
less  adapted,  perhaps,  than  any  other  to  render  an 
inactive  existence  supportable.  Nevertheless  they 
did  not  murmur,  for  there  had  never  been  found 
room  for  murmurs  where  the  First  Consul  was ;  but 
they  stormed  with  bated  breath  at   being  kept   in 


168  3IEM0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 

camp  or  in  the  harbor,  with  Enghiiid  before  them 
and  only  nine  or  ten  leagues  off.  Pleasures  were 
rare  in  Boulogne  ;  the  Boulognese  women,  charming 
persons  in  general,  dared  not  give  2~>fii"ties  in  their 
own  houses,  lest  they  should  displease  their  hus- 
bands, very  jealous  men,  like  all  Picards.  And  yet 
there  was  a  fine  hall  in  which  balls  and  soirees 
might  easily  have  been  given ;  but,  although  they 
may  have  wished  to,  these  ladies  dared  not  make 
use  of  it ;  it  was  necessary  that  a  certain  number  of 
fair  Parisians,  moved  by  the  sad  fate  of  so  many 
brave  and  handsome  officers,  should  come  to  Bou- 
logne to  beguile  the  weariness  of  so  long  a  repose. 
The  example  of  the  Parisians  piqued  the  women 
of  Abbeville,  Dunkirk,  and  Amiens,  and  Boulogne 
was  presently  replenished  with  male  and  female 
strangers  who  came  to  do  the  honors  of  the  city. 

Among  all  these  ladies,  she  who  attracted  most 
attention  by  an  excellent  tone  and  plenty  of  wit  and 

beauty,  was    one    Madame    F ,  of   Dunkirk,    an 

excellent  musician,  full  of  gaiety,  graces,  and  youth ; 

it  was  impossible  that  Madame  F should  not  turn 

many  heads.  Colonel  Joseph,  brother  of  the  First 
Consul,  General  Soult,  who  was  afterwards  marshal, 
Generals  Saint-Hilaire  and  Andrdossy,  and  several 
other  great  personages  were  at  her  feet.  Only  two 
succeeded  in  making  themselves  acceptable,  and  of 
these  one  was  Colonel  Joseph,  who  soon  passed  in  the 

town  for  the  favored  lover  of  Madame  F .     The 

fair  Dunkirker  often  gave  soir(3es,  at  which  Colonel 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  169 


Joseph  never  failed  to  be  present.  Among  all  his 
rivals,  and  he  certainly  had  a  good  many,  one  alone 
took  umbrage  at  him;  this  was  Soult,  the  general- 
in-chief.  This  rivalry  was  not  at  all  prejudicial  to 
the  interests  of  Madame  F ;  like  a  skilful  tac- 
tician, she  adroitly  provoked  the  jealousy  of  her  two 
aspirants,  by  accepting  in  turn  from  each  of  them 
compliments,  bouquets  of  roses,  and  better  than  that 
occasionally. 

The  First  Consul,  informed  of  his  brother's  amours, 
took  the  whim  one  evening  of  going  to  amuse  him- 
self at  the  little  salon  of  Madame  F ,  which  was 

merely  a  room  on  the  first  story  of  a  joiner's  house 
in  the  rue  des  Minimes.  So  as  not  to  be  recognized, 
he  put  on  citizen's  dress,  and  wore  a  wig  and  specta- 
cles. He  took  General  Bertrand  into  his  confidence, 
who  was  already  in  great  favor  with  him,  and  who 
also  was  careful  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  make 
himself  unrecognizable. 

Thus  disguised,  the  First  Consul  and  his  com- 
panion presented  themselves  at  Madame  F 's  and 

asked  for  the  major-domo  Arcambal.  The  strictest 
incognito  was  recommended  to  M.  Arcambal  by  the 
First  Consul,  who  would  not  have  been  recognized 
for  all  the  world.  M.  Arcambal  promised  secrecy. 
The  two  visitors  were  announced  as  civil  commis- 
sioners at  the  army. 

They  were  playing  houillotte :  the  tables  were 
covered  with  gold,  and  the  game  and  the  punch  ab- 
sorbed the  attention  of  the  joyous  habitu^is  to  such  a 


170  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

point  that  none  of  them  took  any  heed  of  the  two 
personages  who  had  just  entered.  As  to  the  mistress 
of  the  house,  she  had  never  seen  close  by  either  the 
First  Consul  or  General  Bertrand ;  consequently 
there  was  nothing  to  fear  from  her.  I  can  well 
believe  that  Colonel  Joseph  recognized  his  brother, 
but  he  crave  no  sio^n  of  it. 

The  First  Consul,  avoiding  observation  as  much 
as  possible,  watched  the  looks  interchanged  between 

his  brother  and  Madame  F .     Convinced  of  their 

mutual  understanding,  he  was  about  to  quit  the 
salon  of  the  pretty  Dunkirker,  when  she,  who  did 
not  fancy  seeing  the  number  of  her  guests  diminish- 
ing as  3'et,  ran  to  the  pretended  commissioners,  and 
graciously  detained  them,  saying  that  they  were 
going  to  play  little  games,  and  that  they  must  not 
go  without  having  given  forfeits.  The  First  Consul, 
having  consulted  General  Bertrand  by  a  glance, 
found  it  amusing  to  remain  and  play  at  innocent 
games. 

In  fact,  at  the  end  of  several  minutes,  on  the  re- 
quest of  Madame  F ,  the  players  deserted  bouil- 

lotte  and  ranged  themselves  in  a  circle  around  her. 
They  began  by  dancing  the  houlanrfere',  then  followed 
the  innocent  games.  It  came  the  First  Consul's  turn 
to  give  a  forfeit.  He  was  at  hrst  much  embarrassed, 
having  nothing  about  him  but  a  scrap  of  paper  on 
which  he  had  written  the  names  of  certain  colonels 
in  lead  pencil.  However,  he  confided  this  paper  to 
Madame  F ,  begging  her  not  to   open   it.     The 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  171 

wish  of  the  First  Consul  was  res2)ected,  and  the 
paper  remained  closed  on  the  knees  of  the  fair  lady 
until  the  forfeit  should  be  redeemed.  This  moment 
arrived,  and  some  one  imposed  on  the  great  captain 
the  singular   penance    of   playing   the   porter,  while 

Madame  F ,  ^^■ith  Colonel  Joseph,  should   make 

the  voyage  to  Cytliera  in  the  next  room.  The  First 
Consul  acquitted  himself  with  a  good  grace  of  the 
part  he  had  to  play ;  then,  after  the  forfeits  had  been 
returned,  he  signed  to  General  Bertrand  to  follow 
him.  They  went  out,  and  presently  the  joiner,  who 
lived  on  the  ground-floor,  came  up  to  deliver  a  little 
note  to  ]\Iadame  F .     It  contained  these  words : 

"I  thank  you,  Madame,  for  the  amiable  welcome 
you  have  given  me.  If  you  come  some  day  to  my 
baraque,  I  will  again  play  the  porter,  if  you  like  ; 
but  this  time  I  will  not  leave  to  others  the  care  of 
accompanying  you  in  the  voyage  to  Cythera. 

"  Signed :  Bonaparte." 

The  charming  Dunkirker  read  the  note  to  herself; 
but  she  did  not  allow  the  givers  of  forfeits  to  remain 
ignorant  that  they  had  received  the  visit  of  the  First 
Consul.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  they  separated,  leav- 
ing ]\Iadame  F alone  to  reflect  on  the  visit  and 

the  note  of  the  great  man. 

It  was  during  this  same  sojourn  that  there  was  a 
terrible  combat  in  the  roadstead  of  Boulogne  to  pro- 
tect the  entry  into  the  port  of  a  flotilla  composed  of 
twenty  or  thirty  vessels,  coming  from  Osteud,  Dun- 


172  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

kirk,  and  Nieuport,  loaded  with  munitions  for  the 
national  fleet. 

A  magnificent  frigate,  carrying  thirty-six  cannon, 
a  cutter  and  a  brig  of  the  first  rank  were  detached 
from  the  English  fleet  in  order  to  intercept  the 
Batavian  flotilla  ;  but  they  were  received  in  a  manner 
that  deprived  them  of  all  wish  to  return  there. 

The  port  of  Boulogne  was  defended  by  five  forts  : 
the  fort  de  la  Creche,  the  fort  en  Bois,  the  fort 
Musoir,  and  the  ordnance  tower,  all  provided  with 
an  extraordinary  abundance  of  cannons  and  mortars. 
The  line  of  broadside  which  barred  the  entry  was 
composed  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  gunboats  and 
other  vessels ;  the  division  of  imperial  gunboats 
formed  part  of  them. 

Each  gunboat  carried  three  twenty-four  pound 
cannons,  two  bow-chasers,  and  one  stern-chaser.  Five 
hundred  pieces  of  ordnance,  then,  were  playing  on 
the  enemy  inde23endently  of  all  the  batteries  of  the 
forts.  Eacli  piece  fired  more  than  three  times  a 
minute. 

The  fight  began  at  one  in  the  afternoon.  The 
weather  was  superb.  At  the  first  discharge  of 
cannon,  the  First  Consul  left  the  headquarters  at  the 
Pont-de-Briques,  and  went  off  at  a  gallop,  followed 
by  his  staff,  to  give  his  orders  to  Admiral  Bruix. 
Presentl}'',  wishing  to  observe  for  himself  the  move- 
ments of  the  defence,  and  aid  in  directing  them,  he 
jumped  into  a  l)()at  rowed  by  the  marines  of  the  guard, 
and  was  followed  by  the  Admiral  and  several  officers. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  173 


Thus  it  was  that  the  First  Consul  went  into  the 
midst  of  the  vessels  which  formed  the  line  of  broad- 
side, through  a  thousand  dangers  and  a  rain  of  shells, 
bombs,  and  ballets.  Intending  to  laiid  at  Wimereux 
after  having  gone  through  the  line,  he  turned  toward 
the  Cro'i  tower,  saying  that  he  must  double  it. 
Admiral  Bruix,  aharmed  at  the  thought  of  the  useless 
danger  they  were  going  to  incur,  represented  the 
imprudence  of  this  manoeuvre  to  the  First  Consul. 
"  What  shall  we  gain  by  doubling  this  fort  ?  Nothing 
but  bullets.  .  .  .  General,  by  turning  it  we  should 
arrive  just  as  quickly."  The  First  Consul  was  not 
of  the  Admiral's  opinion  ;  he  persisted  in  wishing  to 
double  the  tower.  The  Admiral,  at  the  risk  of  being 
cashiered,  gave  contrary  orders  to  the  sailors ;  and 
the  First  Consul  saw  himself  obliged  to  pass  behind 
the  fort,  very  much  irritated  and  addressing  re- 
proaches to  the  Admiral,  Avhich  very  soon  ceased  ;  for 
the  yawl  liad  hardly  passed  when  a  transport  boat 
wdiich  had  doubled  the  Cro'i  tower,  was  crushed  and 
sunk  by  three  or  four  shells. 

The  First  Consul  held  his  peace  on  seeing  how 
right  the  Admiral  had  been,  and  the  rest  of  the  way 
was  accomplished  without  hindrance  as  far  as  the 
little  port  of  Wimereux.  On  arriving  there,  he  went 
up  the  cliff  to  encourage  the  cannoneers.  He  spoke 
to  every  one  of  them,  slapped  them  on  the  shoulder, 
and  incited  them  to  take  good  aim.  "  Courage,  my 
friends,"  he  said  to  them  ;  "  think  that  j^ou  are  fight- 
ing fellows  who  will  hold  out  a  long  time  :   send 


174  MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT 

them  off  with  the  honors  of  war.'"  While  looking  at 
the  fine  resistance  and  the  majestic  manoeuvres  of  the 
frigate,  he  asked  :  "  Do  you  think  the  captain  can  be 
English,  my  lads  ?     I  don't  believe  it." 

The  gunners,  inflamed  by  the  words  of  the  First 
Consul,  redoubled  their  ardor  and  speed.  "  Keep 
looking  at  the  frigate,  General,"  cried  one  of  them ; 
"the  bowsprit  is  going  to  come  down."  He  had 
spoken  truly ;  the  mast  of  the  bowsprit  was  cut  in  two 
by  the  ball.  "  Give  this  fellow  twenty  francs," 
said  the  First  Consul,  addressing  the  officers  who 
had  followed  him. 

Beside  the  batteries  of  Wimereux  was  a  forge  to 
heat  the  bullets.  The  First  Consul  watched  the 
smiths  at  work  and  gave  them  his  advice.  "  That  is 
not  red  enough,  my  lads;  we  must  send  them  redder 
than  that  .  .  .  come,  come  ! "  One  of  the  men  had 
known  him  as  a  lieutenant  of  artillery,  and  said  to 
his  comrades :  "  He  understands  these  little  things 
finely  .  .  .  just  as  he  does  big  ones." 

That  day,  two  soldiers  without  arms,  who,  stationed 
on  the  cliff,  were  looking  at  the  manoeuvres,  began 
to  quarrel  with  each  other  in  a  ver}^  comical  manner. 
"  Look,"  said  one,  "  do  you  see  the  little  corporal 
down  there?"  "No,  I  don't  see  him."  — "What, 
don't  you  see  him  in  his  yawl  ?  "  "  Ah  yes  !  but  he 
can't  be  thinking  what  lie  is  about,  that's  sure  ;  if  he 
should  get  a  rap  now,  he  would  set  the  whole  army 
crying.  Why  does  he  expose  himself  like  that?"  — 
"  Heavens !  that's  his  place."     "  Not  at  all. "  — ^ "  I  say 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  175 

it  is."  "  No,  I  say."  —  "  Look  here,  what  would  you 
do  to-morrow  if  the  little  corporal  were  killed?" 
"  Eh !  but  I  tell  you  that's  his  place,"  etc. ;  and  not 
having,  as  it  appeared,  strong  enough  arguments  on 
either  side,  they  came  to  fisticuffs.  It  took  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  to  separate  them. 

The  combat  had  begun  at  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon ;  at  about  ten  in  the  evening  the  Batavian 
flotilla  entered  the  port  amidst  the  most  horrible 
firing  I  ever  saw.  In  this  obscurity,  the  bombs  which 
crossed  each  other  in  every  direction  formed  an  arch 
of  fire  above  the  harbor  and  the  city.  The  continual 
explosion  of  all  this  artillery  was  repeated  by  the 
echoes  from  the  cliffs  with  a  frightful  noise ;  and, 
singularly  enough,  not  a  person  in  the  city  was  afraid. 
The  Boulognese  had  become  accustomed  to  danger ; 
they  were  expecting  something  terrible  every  day ; 
they  had  the  preparations  for  attack  or  defence  under 
their  eyes  all  the  time ;  they  had  become  soldiers  by 
dint  of  seeing  them.  On  that  day  they  dined  to  the 
roar  of  cannon,  but  everybody  dined ;  the  dinner 
hour  was  neither  advanced  nor  retarded.  Men  went 
to  their  business,  women  occupied  themselves  with 
their  housekeeping,  young  girls  practised  the  piano. 
.  .  .  All  beheld  with  indifference  the  cannon  balls 
passing  over  their  heads,  and  the  curious,  whom  a 
desire  to  see  the  combat  had  attracted  to  the  cliff, 
seemed  scarcely  more  affected  than  people  usually 
are  on  seeing  a  military  piece  played  at  Franconi's. 

I  still  wonder  how  three   vessels  could  have  en- 


176  MEMOinS    OF  CONSTANT 

dured  for  more  than  nine  hours  such  a  violent  shock. 
At  the  moment  when  the  flotilla  entered  the  port  the 
English  cutter  had  sunk,  the  brig  had  been  burned 
by  the  red-hot  balls ;  nothing  remained  but  the 
frigate,  with  its  masts  shattered,  its  sails  torn,  and 
yet  standing  as  immovable  as  a  rock.  It  was  so  close 
to  the  line  of  broadside  that  the  sailors  on  either  side 
could  recognize  and  count  each  other.  Behind  her, 
at  a  reasonable  distance,  were  more  than  a  Imndred 
English  sail.  At  last,  after  ten  o'clock,  a  signal  from 
the  English  admiral  made  the  frigate  put  about,  and 
the  firing  ceased.  The  line  of  broadside  was  not 
greatly  damaged  in  this  long  and  terrible  fight,  be- 
cause the  guns  of  the  frigate  carried  nearly  always 
into  the  rigging,  and  never  into  the  body  of  the 
boats.     The  brig  and  the  cutter  did  the  most  harm. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Return  of  the  First  Consul  to  Paris  —  Arrival  of  Trince  Camille 
Borghese  —  Pauline  Bonaparte  and  her  first  husband,  General 
Leclerc  —  The  General's  love  for  his  wife  —  Portrait  of  General 
Leclerc  —  Departure  of  the  General  for  Santo  Domingo  —  The 
First  Consul  decrees  the  departure  of  his  sister  also  —  Revolt  of 
Christophe  and  Dessalines  —  Arrival  of  the  General  and  his  wife 
at  the  Cape  —  Courage  of  Madame  Leclerc  —  Insurrection  of  the 
blacks  —  The  remains  of  the  army  of  Brest,  and  twelve  thou- 
sand revolted  negi'oes  —  Heroic  valor  of  the  General-in-Chief, 
attacked  by  a  fatal  disease  —  Courage  of  Madame  Leclerc  — 
Nobleness  and  intrepidity  —  Pauline  saving  her  son — Death  of 
General  Leclerc  —  Marriage  of  Pauline  —  Chagrin  of  Lafon,  and 
response  of  Mademoiselle  Duchesnois  —  j\L  Jules  de  Canouville 
and  the  Princess  Borghese — The  Princess  in  disgrace  with  the 
Emperor  —  Generosity  of  the  Princess  toward  her  brother  —  The 
only  friend  that  remained  to  him  —  The  diamonds  of  the  Prin- 
cess in  the  Emperor's  carriage  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo. 

f  I  ^HE  First  Consul  quitted  Boulogne  to  return  to 
-^  Paris,  where  he  wished  to  be  present  at  the 
marriage  of  one  of  his  sisters.  Prince  Camille  Bor- 
ghese, a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most  noble  families 
of  Rome,  had  arrived  there  to  marry  Madame  Pauline 
Bonaparte,  Avidow  of  General  Leclerc,  who  died  of 
yellow  fever  -iit  Santo  Domingo. 

I  remember  having  seen  this  unhappy  general,  at 
the  house  of  the  First  Consul,  some  time  before  his 
departure  for  the  fatal  expedition  which  cost  him  his 
life  and  France  the  loss  of  so  many  brave  soldier's  and 

VOL.  I.  — \  177 


178  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

of  enormous  sums  of  money.  General  Leclerc,  whose 
name  is  now  almost  forgotten,  or  even  in  some  sort 
abandoned  to  contempt,  was  a  kind  and  benevolent 
man.  He  was  passionately  enamoured  of  his  wife, 
whose  levity,  to  say  nothing  worse,  afflicted  and 
plunged  him  into  a  profound  and  habitual  melan- 
choly which  it  was  painful  to  behold.  The  Princess 
Pauline  (who  was  far  enough  from  being  a  princess 
then)  had  nevertheless  married  him  freely  and  from 
choice  ;  which  did  not  prevent  her  from  tormenting 
her  husband  by  caprices  without  end,  and  telling  him 
a  hundred  times  a  day  that  he  was  very  fortunate 
in  having  a  sister  of  the  First  Consul  for  his  wife. 
I  am  convinced  that,  with  his  simple  tastes  and 
pacific  temper.  General  Leclerc  would  have  liked  less 
brilliancy  and  more  repose  much  better. 

The  First  Consul  had  required  his  sister  to  accom- 
pany the  General  to  Santo  Domingo.  She  was  obliged 
to  obey  and  to  quit  Paris,  where  she  wielded  the 
sceptre  of  fashion  and  eclipsed  all  other  women  by 
her  elegance  and  her  coquetry  as  much  as  by  her 
incomparable  beauty,  in  order  to  go  and  brave  a 
dangerous  climate  and  the  ferocious  companions  of 
Christophe  and  Dessalines.  At  the  close  of  the  year 
1801,  the  flag-ship  Ocean  had  sailed  for  t'le  Cape,  with 
General  Leclerc,  his  wife,  and  their  so;,  on  board. 

On  arriving  at  the  Cape,  the  conduct  of  Madame 
Leclerc  was  above  all  praise.  On  more  than  one 
occasion,  but  particularly  on  that  which  I  am  go- 
ing to  try  to  recall,  she  displayed  a  courage  worthy 


MEMOIES  OF  CONSTANT  179 

of  her  name  and  the  position  of  her  husband.  I  have 
these  details  from  an  eye-witness,  whom  I  knew  in 
Paris  in  the  service  of  the  Princess  Pauline. 

The  day  of  the  great  insurrection  of  the  blacks,  in 
September,  1802,  the  bands  of  Christophe  and  Dessa- 
lines,  composed  of  more  than  twelve  thousand  negroes 
exasperated  by  their  hatred  against  the  whites,  and 
their  certainty  that  if  they  failed  no  quarter  would 
be  given  them,  came  to  assault  the  Cape  town,  which 
was  defended  by  only  a  thousand  soldiers.  These 
were  the  only  remnants  of  that  numerous  army 
which  had  gone  out  of  Brest  a  year  earlier,  so  brill- 
iant and  so  full  of  hope.  This  handful  of  heroes, 
the  majority  of  them  weak  from  fever,  commanded 
by  the  general-in-chief  of  the  expedition,  who  was 
likewise  suffering  from  the  malady  of  which  he  died, 
repulsed  the  repeated  attacks  of  the  negroes  with 
unheard-of  efforts  and  heroic  valor. 

During  the  combat,  in  which  the  fury  if  not  the 
numbers  and  force  were  equal  on  both  sides,  Madame 
Leclerc  was  with  her  son,  and  under  the  guard  of  a 
devoted  friend  who  had  only  a  weak  artillery  com- 
pany at  his  orders,  in  the  house  where  her  husband 
had  established  his  residence,  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks 
bordering  the  coast.  The  General-in-Chief,  fearing 
lest  this  residence  might  be  surprised  by  a  part  of 
the  enemy,  and  unable  to  foresee  the  result  of  the 
struggle  he  was  maintaining  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  Cape,  where  the  blacks  were  making  their  most 
fui'ious  assaults,  sent  orders  to  have  his  wife  and  son 


180  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 


taken  on  board  the  French  fleet.  Pauline  would  not 
consent  to  it.  Always  true  to  the  pride  inspired  in 
her  by  her  name  (though  there  was  this  time  both 
grandeur  and  nobility  in  her  pride),  she  said  to  the 
ladies  of  the  city,  who  had  taken  shelter  with  her, 
and  who  were  entreating  her  to  depart,  and  telling 
her  horrible  things  about  the  treatment  to  which 
women  were  exposed  by  the  negroes :  "  The  rest  of 
you  can  go.     You  are  not  Bonaparte's  sisters." 

However,  the  danger  increasing  every  moment, 
General  Leclerc  sent  an  aide-de-camp  to  the  resi- 
dence, who  was  enjoined,  in  case  of  a  new  refusal 
on  the  part  of  Pauline,  to  take  her  on  board  in  spite 
of  herself.  The  officer  was  obliged  to  execute  this 
order  strictly.  Madame  Leclerc  was  held  by  force 
in  an  armchair  carried  by  four  soldiers.  A  grenadier 
marched  at  her  side,  with  the  son  of  his  general  in 
his  arms;  and  during  this  scene  of  flight  and  terror, 
the  child,  already  worthy  of  his  mother,  played  with 
his  conductor's  plume.  Followed  by  her  cortege  of 
women,  all  trembling  and  in  tears,  of  whom  her 
courage  was  tlie  only  rampart  on  this  dangerous 
transit,  Pauline  was  transported  in  this  way  as  far 
as  the  seashore.  But  just  as  they  were  about  to 
put  her  in  the  boat,  another  of  her  husband's  aides 
brought  her  news  of  the  defeat  of  the  blacks. 
"  You  see,"  said  she  as  they  were  returning  to  the 
house,  "I  was  right  in  not  wishing  to  embark." 
Still  she  was  not  yet  entirely  out  of  danger.  A 
troop  of  negroes  belonging  to  the  army  which  liad 


MEMOIUS   OF  CONSTANT  181 


just  been  so  miraculously  repulsed,  and  seeking  to 
effect  their  retreat  among  the  piers,  met  the  feeble 
escort  of  Madame  Leclerc.  The  insurgents  seemed 
to  bo  intending  to  attack  them ;  they  had  to  be 
driven  off  by  muskets  fired  in  their  very  faces. 
Pauline  maintained  an  imperturbable  presence  of 
mind  in  the  midst  of  this  affray. 

All  these  circumstances  were  of  course  reported 
to  the  First  Consul ;  his  self-love  was  flattered  by 
them,  and  I  think  it  was  to  the  Prince  Borghese  that 
he  said  one  day  at  his  levee  :  "  Pauline  was  predes- 
tined to  espouse  a  Roman ;  for  she  is  all  Roman, 
from  head  to  foot." 

Unhappily  this  courage,  which  a  man  might  have 
envied  her,  was  not  accompanied  in  the  Princess 
Pauline  by  those  less  brilliant  and  more  modest 
virtues  which  are  nevertheless  more  necessary  to 
a  woman  and  more  rightfully  expected  of  her  than 
audacity  and  indifference  to  danger. 

I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  true,  as  has  been 
written  somewhere,  that  Madame  Leclerc  had  an 
affection  for  an  actor  of  the  Theatre  Fran9ais  at 
the  time  she  was  obliged  to  go  to  Santo  Domingo. 
Neither  can  I  say  whether  oNIademoiselle  Duchesnois 
did  really  have  the  naivete  to  exclaim  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  hundred  persons,  apropos  of  this  dej)art- 
ure :  "  Lafon  will  never  be  consoled  for  it ;  he  is 
capable  of  dying  on  account  of  it."  But  what 
I  personally  knew  of  the  frailties  of  this  princess 
would  easily  incline  me  to  believe  this  anecdote. 


182  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 


All  Paris  knew  the  particular  favor  with  which 
she  honored  M.  Jules  cle  Canouville,^  a  young  and 
brilliant   colonel,    of   great   bravery,    perfect   figure, 

1 M.  Bousquet,  a  celebrated  dentist,  ■was  summoned  to  Neuilly 
(the  residence  of  the  Princess  Pauline),  in  order  to  examine  the 
teeth  of  Her  Imperial  Highness.  On  being  introduced  into  her 
apartments,  he  made  ready  to  begin  his  operation.  "Sir,"  said  a 
charming  young  man  in  a  dressing  gown,  lying  negligently  on  a 
sofa,  "take  good  care,  I  entreat  you,  about  what  you  are  going 
to  do.  I  am  extremely  attached  to  my  Paulette's  teeth,  and  will 
make  you  responsible  for  any  accident."  "Be  easy,  my  Prince  ; 
I  can  assure  Your  Imperial  Highness  that  there  will  not  be  the 
least  danger."  The  advice  continued  all  the  time  that  M.  Bous- 
quet was  occupied  in  arranging  this  pretty  mouth  ;  at  last,  having 
finished  what  he  had  to  do,  he  passed  into  the  attendants'  hall, 
where  the  ladies  of  the  palace,  the  chamberlains,  etc.,  were 
assembled,  awaiting  their  time  to  enter  the  apartment  of  the 
Princess.  They  made  haste  to  ask  M.  Bousquet  questions.  "Her 
Imperial  Highness  is  very  well,"  said  he,  "and  she  ought  to  be 
very  happy  in  the  tender  attachment  of  her  august  spouse,  which 
he  has  just  been  displaying  before  me  in  such  a  touching  manner. 
His  anxiety  was  extreme,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  I  could 
reassure  him  about  the  consequences  of  the  simplest  thing  in  the 
world.  I  shall  tell  everywhere  what  I  have  just  witnessed.  It  is 
sweet  to  be  able  to  cite  such  examples  of  conjugal  tenderness  in  so 
elevated  a  rank.  I  am  really  impressed  by  it."  Nobody  tried  to 
interrupt  the  worthy  M.  Bousquet  in  the  expression  of  his  enthu- 
siasm ;  the  longing  to  laugh  prevented  a  word  from  being  said  ;  and 
he  went  away  convinced  that  nowhere  was  there  to  be  found  a 
more  admirable  family  life  than  that  of  the  Prince  and  Princess 
Borghese.  The  former  was  in  Italy,  and  the  handsome  young 
man  was  M.  de  Canouville.  I  have  borrowed  this  curious  anecdote 
from  the  Memoires  de  Josephine,  the  author  of  which,  who  has 
seen  and  observed  the  courts  of  Navarre  and  Malmaison  with  so 
much  truth  and  good  judgment,  is,  I  am  told,  a  woman,  and  who 
cannot,  in  fact,  be  other  than  a  very  intelligent  woman,  and  one 
better  placed  than  any  one  else  for  knowing  the  private  life  of  Her 
Majesty  the  Empress. 


ME3I0IBS   OF  CONSTANT  183 

and  a  recklessness  which  gained  him  innumerable 
successes  with  certain  women,  although  he  employed 
very  little  discretion  with  them.  The  Princess 
Pauline's  liaison  with  this  amiable  officer  was  the 
most  durable  that  she  ever  formed.  Unfortunately, 
neither  of  them  was  at  all  reserved,  and  their  mut- 
ual affection  soon  acquired  a  scandalous  publicity. 
Later,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  relate,  in  its  own 
place,  the  adventure  which  caused  the  disgrace, 
banishment,  and  perhaps  the  death  of  Colonel  de 
Canouville ;  the  whole  army  deplored  his  death,  so 
premature  and  above  all  so  cruel,  because  it  was 
not  by  an  enemy's  bullet  that  he  was  struck.^ 

Yet,  whatever  may  have  been  the  weakness  of  tlie 
Princess  Pauline  for  her  lovers,  and  although  such 
incredible  examples  of  it  may  be  cited,  without 
departing  from  truth,  her  admirable  devotion  to  the 
person  of  His  Majesty  the  Emperor,  in  1814,  should 
cause  her  faults  to  be  treated  with  indulgence. 

A  hundred  times  had  the  heedlessness  of  her  con- 
duct, and  especially  her  failure  in  attention  and 
respect  toward  the  Empress  Marie-Louise,  irritated 
the  Emperor  against  the  Princess  Borghese.  He 
always  ended  by  forgiving  her.  Still,  at  the  time  of 
her  august  brother's  fall,  she  was  again  in  disgrace. 
On  beingf  informed  that  the  island  of  Elba  had  been 
assigned  as  a  prison  to  the  Emperor,  she  hastened  to 

1  He  was  killed  by  a  bullet  from  a  French  gun,  discharged  by 
some  one  after  an  action  in  which  he  had  displayed  the  most 
brilliant  coui'ase. 


184  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

shut  herself  up  there  witli  him,  abandoning  Rome 
and  Italy,  whose  most  beautiful  palaces  belonged  to 
her.  At  the  critical  period  before  the  battle  of 
Waterloo,  His  Majesty  found  the  heart  of  his  sister 
Pauline  faithful.  Fearing  that  he  might  need  money, 
she  sent  him  her  richest  diamond  ornaments,  the  price 
of  which  was  enormous.  They  were  found  in  the  car- 
riage of  the  Emperor,  which  was  taken  at  Waterloo, 
and  exposed  to  the  curiosity  of  tlie  inhabitants 
of  London.  But  the  diamonds  have  been  lost,  at 
least  to  their  legitimate  owner. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

Arrest  of  General  Moreau  —  Constant  sent  as  an  observer  —  Gen- 
eral Moreau  married  by  Madame  Bonaparte  —  Mademoiselle 
Hulot  —  ^Madame  Ilulot  —  Lofty  pretensions  —  Moreau's  oppo- 
sition —  His  railleries  —  Intrigues  and  conspiracies  of  malcon- 
tents —  Testimonies  of  affection  given  by  the  First  Consul  to 
General  Moreau  —  What  the  Emperor  said  and  did  the  day  that 
General  Moreau's  aides-de-camp  were  arrested  —  General  Toy's 
companion  in  arms  —  The  abduction — Excessive  severity  toward 
Colonel  Del^l^e  —  A  child's  stratagem  —  Arbitrary  measures  — 
The  Emperor's  inflexibility  —  The  deputies  of  Besan9on  and 

Marshal    M Panic    and    firmness  —  Court    friends  —  A 

formal  audience  at  the  Tuileries — Reception  of  the  Bison  tins  — 
Courageous  response  —  Reparation  —  A  change  of  opinions  — 
The  old  comrades  —  The  chief  of  staff  of  the  army  of  Portugal 
—  Premature  death  —  Surveillance  exercised  over  the  members 
of  the  Emperor's  household  at  each  new  conspiracy  —  The 
keeper  of  the  portfolio  —  Registers  of  the  concierges  —  The 
Emperor's  jealousy  excited  by  a  suspected  name. 

^T^HE  First  Consul  was  in  a  state  of  great  agita- 
tion  on  the  day  of  General  Moreau's  arrest. 
All  the  morning,  his  emissaries  and  the  agents  of  the 
police  were  going  and  coming.  Measures  had  been 
taken  so  that  the  arrest  should  be  made  at  the  same 
hour,  whether  at  Gros-Bois,  or  at  the  general's  resi- 
dence in  the  rue  du  Faubourg  Saint-Honore.  The 
First  Consul  was  anxiously  walking  up  and  down  in 
liis  chamber.  He  had  me  called  and  ordered  me  to 
go  and  station  myself  in  front  of  the  general's  Paris 

185 


186  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

house  to  observe  whether  the  arrest  was  made,  and  if 
there  were  any  tumult,  and  to  come  back  quickly  and 
report  to  him.  I  obeyed,  but  nothing  extraordinary 
was  passing  in  the  house,  and  I  saw  nobody  but  some 
police  spies  strolling  in  the  street,  and  keeping  an 
eye  on  the  door  of  the  dwelling  inhabited  by  the 
man  who  had  been  designated  as  their  prey.  My 
presence  might  have  been  noticed,  so  I  departed,  and 
on  my  way  back  to  the  chateau,  I  learned  that  Gen- 
eral Moreau  had  been  arrested  on  the  road  as  he  was 
returning  to  Paris  from  Gros-Bois,  which  he  sold  a 
few  months  later  to  Marshal  Berthier,  before  starting 
for  the  United  States.  I  quickened  my  pace  and  ran 
to  announce  the  tidings  of  the  arrest  to  the  First 
Consul.  He  knew  it  already  and  made  me  no  reply. 
He  was  still  pensive  and  dreamy,  as  he  had  been  in 
the  morning. 

As  I  have  been  led  to  speak  of  General  Moreau,  I 
will  recall  the  fatal  circumstances  by  which  he  was 
impelled  to  tarnish  his  fame.  Madame  Bonaparte 
had  married  him  to  Mademoiselle  Hulot,  her  friend, 
and  like  herself  a  Creole  of  the  Isle  de  France.  This 
young  person,  sweet,  amiable,  and  full  of  the  qualities 
which  make  a  good  wife  and  mother,  loved  her  hus- 
band passionately  ;  she  was  proud  of  that  glorious 
name  which  surrounded  her  with  respect  and  honors. 
But,  unfortunately,  she  had  the  greatest  deference 
for  her  mother,  who  was  very  ambitious,  and  desired 
nothing  less  tlian  to  behold  her  daughter  seated  on 
a  throne.      Her  empire  over  Madame  Moreau  soon 


MEMOIBS  OF  CONSTANT  187 

included  the  general  himself,  who,  ruled  by  her 
counsels,  became  sombre,  dreamy,  melancholy,  and 
lost  forever  that  tranquillity  of  mind  which  had  dis- 
tinguished him.  From  that  time  the  general's 
house  was  open  to  plots  and  intrigues  ;  all  the  mal- 
contents, and  there  were  many  of  them,  met  each 
other  there  ;  from  that  time  the  general  undertook 
to  disapprove  all  the  acts  of  the  First  Consul ;  he 
opposed  the  re-establishment  of  public  worsliip,  he 
called  the  institution  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  a  piece 
of  childish  and  ridiculous  mummery.  These  grave  im- 
prudences, and  plenty  of  others,  soon  reached,  as  may 
readily  be  believed,  the  ears  of  the  First  Consul,  who 
at  first  refused  to  credit  them;  but  how  could  he 
remain  deaf  to  insinuations  that  daily  returned  with 
increased  force,  and  were  doubtless  envenomed  by 
malice? 

Now,  while  the  imprudent  speeches  of  the  gen- 
eral were  contributing  to  ruin  him  in  the  mind  of 
the  First  Consul,  his  mother-in-law,  with  dangerous 
obstinacy,  encouraged  him  in  his  opposition,  per- 
suaded, as  she  said,  that  the  future  would  do  justice 
to  the  present.  She  was  not  aware  how  truly  she 
spoke.  The  general  rushed  headlong  into  the  abyss 
which  opened  in  front  of  him.  How  altogether  con- 
trary was  his  conduct  to  his  character !  He  had  a 
decided  aversion  for  the  English  ;  he  detested  the 
Chouans  and  all  that  pertained  to  the  old  nobility. 
Besides,  a  man  like  General  Moreau,  after  having 
served  his   country  so  gloriously,  was  not  made   to 


188  MEMOIRS   OF  COIfSTANT 

carry  arms  against  her.  But  he  was  misled,  and  he 
misled  himself  in  thinking  that  he  was  fit  to  play  a 
great  political  rOle.  He  was  ruined  by  the  flattery 
of  a  party  which  raised  as  many  enmities  as  it  could 
against  the  First  Consul  by  exciting  the  jealousy  of 
his  former  companions  in  arms. 

I  have  seen  more  than  one  token  of  affection  given 
by  the  First  Consul  to  General  Moreau.  During  one 
of  the  latter's  visits  to  the  Tuileries,  and  wliile  he 
was  conversing  with  the  First  Consul,  General  Carnot 
came  in  from  Versailles  with  a  pair  of  very  elaborately 
wrought  pistols,  presented  to  the  First  Consul  by  the 
manufactory  of  Versailles.  To  take  these  two  beauti- 
ful weapons  from  the  hands  of  General  Carnot,  to 
examine  them  a  moment,  and  then  offer  them  to 
General  Moreau,  saying :  "•  Keep  them ;  they  could 
not  come  more  apropos,"  —  all  that  was  done  quicker 
than  I  can  write  it.  The  general  could  not  have 
been  more  flattered  by  this  proof  of  friendsliip,  and 
he  warmly  thanked  the  First  Consul. 

Tlie  name  and  the  trial  of  General  Moreau  remind 
me  of  the  story  of  a  brave  officer  who  found  himself 
compromised  in  this  unhappy  affair,  and  barely 
extricated  himself  from  it,  after  several  years  of 
disgrace,  by  dint  of  the  courage  with  which  he  ven- 
tured to  expose  himself  to  the  Emperor's  wrath. 
The  authenticity  of  the  details  I  am  going  to  give 
can  be  attested,  at  need,  b}^  living  persons  whom  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  name  in  my  recital,  and  whose 
testimony  no  reader  would  dream  of  rejecting. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  189 

General  Moreau's  disgrace  at  first  extended  to  all 
who  were  connected  with  him :  the  affection  and 
devotion  borne  him  by  the  army  men,  whether  offi- 
cers or  soldiers,  who  had  served  under  him,  was  well 
known.  His  aides-de-camp  were  arrested,  even  those 
who  were  not  in  Paris. 

One  of  these.  Colonel  Del^lde,  had  been  several 
months  at  Besangon  on  furlough,  reposing  from  his 
campaigns  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  along  with  a 
young  wife  to  whom  he  had  not  long  been  married, 
but  occupying  himself  very  little  -with  political  affairs, 
a  good  deal  with  his  pleasures,  and  not  at  all  with 
conspiracies.  The  comrade  and  brother  in  arms  of 
Colonels  Guilleminot,  Ilugo,^  and  Foy,^  all  three  of 
whom  afterward  became  generals,  he  spent  joyous 
evenings  with  them  in  garrison  and  agreeable  ones 
at  home.  All  at  once  Colonel  Delel^e  was  arrested, 
thrown  into  a  post-chaise,  and  it  was  only  when  they 
were  rolling  at  a  gallop  on  the  road  to  Paris  that  he 
learned  from  the  officer  of  gendarmerie,  who  accom- 
panied him,  that  General  Moreau  had  conspired,  and 
that  in  his  capacity  as  aide-de-camp  of  the  General  he 
was  included  among  the  conspirators. 

On  arriving  at  Paris,  the  Colonel  w^as  put  into 
close  custody,  at  La  Force,  I  think.  His  wife,  justly 
alarmed,  hastened  in  pursuit  of  him ;  but  it  was  not 
until   after   a  great   many   days   that   she   obtained 

1  The  father  of  M.  Victor  Hugo,  wlio  is  himself  the  godson  of 
Madame  Del^lt-e. 

2  The  illustrious  General  Foy. 


190  MEMOIBS  OF  CONSTANT 

permission  to  communicate  ^yith  the  prisoner,  and 
even  then  she  could  do  so  only  by  signs.  She  would 
remain  in  the  court  of  the  prison,  while  he  would 
show  himself  for  some  moments,  and  pass  his  hand 
through  the  bars  of  his  window. 

However,  the  rigor  of  these  orders  was  abated  for 
the  Colonel's  son,  a  little  child  of  three  or  four 
years.  His  father  obtained  the  favor  of  embracing 
him.  He  came  every  morning  in  his  mother's  arms, 
and  a  turnkey  would  take  him  to  the  prisoner.  In 
presence  of  this  troublesome  witness  the  poor  little 
fellow  would  play  his  part  with  all  the  cunning  of  a 
consummate  dissimulator.  He  would  pretend  to  be 
lame,  and  complain  that  there  were  grains  of  sand  in 
his  shoe  that  hurt  him.  The  Colonel,  turning  his 
back  on  the  jailer,  would  take  the  child  on  his  knee 
to  rid  him  of  what  troubled  him,  and  find  in  the  shoe 
a  note  from  his  wife,  apprising  him  in  very  few 
words  of  the  progress  of  the  legal  inquiry,  and  what 
he  had  to  hope  or  fear  on  his  own  account. 

At  last,  after  several  months  of  captivity,  sentence 
having  been  passed  on  the  conspirators,  Colonel 
Deldlde,  against  whom  no  accusation  had  been 
brought,  was  not  absolved,  as  he  had  a  right  to 
expect,  but  struck  off  the  army  rolls,  and  arbitrarily 
sent  away  under  surveillance,  and  forbidden  to  come 
within  forty  leagues  of  Paris.  At  first  he  was  also 
enjoined  not  to  return  to  Besan9on,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  had  been  out  of  prison  for  a  year  that  he 
was  permitted  to  live  there. 


MEMOIRS    OF  CONSTAXT  191 

Young  and  full  of  courage,  the  Colonel  beheld, 
from  the  depths  of  his  retreat,  his  friends  and  com- 
rades making  their  way  and  gaining  name,  rank, 
and  glory  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  saw  himself 
condemned  to  inaction  and  obscurity.  He  spent 
his  days  in  following  on  the  maps  the  triumphant 
march  of  those  armies  in  which  he  felt  that  he 
deserved  to  resume  his  rank.  A  thousand  requests 
were  addressed  by  him  and  by  his  friends  to  the 
chief  of  the  Empire,  that  he  would  permit  him  to  go 
merely  as  a  volunteer,  to  join  his  former  comrades, 
were  it  with  a  knapsack  on  his  back.  His  prayers  were 
rejected.  The  Emperor's  will  was  inflexible,  and  to 
every  new  application  he  answered  :  "  Let  him  wait." 

The  inhabitants  of  Besan9on,  who  considered 
Colonel  Delel^e  their  compatriot,  interested  them- 
selves keenly  in  the  misfortune  of  this  brave  officer. 
An  occasion  presented  itself  to  recommend  him  anew 
to  the  clemency,  or  rather  to  the  justice,  of  the 
Emperor,  and  they  profited  by  it. 

This  was,  I  think,  on  the  return  from  the  cam- 
paign of  Prussia  and  Poland.  Deputations  were 
coming  from  all  parts  of  France,  charged  to  con- 
gratulate the  Emperor  on  his  new  victories.  Colonel 
Del^l^e  was  unanimously  elected  a  member  of  the 
deputation  from  Doubs,  of  which  the  mayor  and 
the  prefect  of  Besan^on  formed  part,  and  which  was 
presided  over  by  the  worthy  jMarshal  jNI . 

An  occasion,  then,  is  at  last  offered  to  Colonel 
Del^l^e  to  have  the  lono-  interdict  raised  which  has 


192  MEMOIIiS   OF  CONSTANT 

weighed  upon  his  head  and  kept  his  sword  idle ! 
He  will  speak  to  the  Emperor ;  he  will  complain, 
respectfully  but  with  dignity,  of  the  motiveless  dis- 
grace in  which  he  has  been  detained  so  long.  He 
will  render  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  generous  affection 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  whose  suffrages  will,  he  hopes, 
plead  in  his  favor  with  His  Majesty. 

The  Besan^on  deputies,  on  their  arrival  in  Paris, 
have  themselves  presented  to  the  different  ministers. 
The  minister  of  police  takes  the  president  of  the  depu- 
tation aside,  and  asks  him  what  signifies  the  presence 
among  the  deputies  of  a  man  publicly  known  to  be 
in  disgrace,  and  the  sight  of  whom  cannot  fail  to 
be  disagreeable  to  the  chief  of  the  Empire. 

On  issuing  from  this  private  interview.  Marshal 

M enters,  pale  and  terrified,  the  apartment  of 

Colonel  Delelde. 

"  All  is  lost,  my  friend  I  I  see,  by  the  looks  of 
things  at  the  bureau,  that  they  are  still  ill-disposed 
toward  you.  If  the  Emperor  sees  you  amongst  us, 
he  will  take  that  for  an  express  intention  to  go 
against  his  orders,  and  lie  will  be  furious." 

"  Ah  well,  what  can  I  do  about  that  ?  " 

"  But,  to  avoid  compromising  the  department,  the 
deputation,  to  avoid  compromising  yourself,  you 
might  well,  perhaps  —  " 

The  Marshal  hesitates. 

"  I  should  do  well  ?  "  asks  the  Colonel. 

"Perhaps  by  withdrawing  without  making  any 
scandal  — " 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  193 

Here  the  Colonel  interrupted  the  president  of  the 
deputation. 

"  Marshal,  permit  me  to  refuse  this  counsel.  I  did 
not  come  so  far  in  order  to  recoil,  like  a  child, 
before  the  first  obstacle.  I  am  tired  of  a  disgrace 
I  have  not  deserved ;  still  more  tired  of  my  idleness. 
Whether  the  Emperor  is  angry  or  is  appeased,  he 
will  see  me ;  let  him  have  me  shot  if  he  likes,  I  do 
not  cling  to  a  life  such  as  I  have  led  for  the  last 
four  years.  However,  Marshal,  I  will  submit  to 
what  shall  be  decided  by  my  colleagues,  the  deputies 
of  Besan^on." 

These  latter  did  not  disapprove  the  Colonel's  reso- 
lution, and  he  went  with  them  to  the  Tuileries  on 
the  day  of  the  formal  reception  of  all  the  deputa- 
tions of  the  Empire. 

Every  hall  in  the  Tuileries  was  encumbered  by  a 
crowd  in  richly  embroidered  coats  and  brilliant  uni- 
forms. The  military  household  of  the  Emperor,  his 
civil  family,  the  generals  present  in  Paris,  the  diplo- 
matic corps,  the  ministers  and  chiefs  of  the  diiierent 
administrations,  the  deputies  of  the  departments  with 
their  prefects  and  their  mayors,  decorated  with  tri- 
colored  scarfs ;  all  were  assembled  in  innumerable 
groups,  and  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  His  Majesty, 
talking  meanwhile  in  undertones. 

In  one  of  these  groups  was  seen  a  tall  officer, 
dressed  in  a  very  simple  uniform  and  of  a  fashion 
which  dated  several  years  back.  He  did  not  wear 
either  on  his  neck  or  on  his  breast  the  decoration 

VOL.   I.  — O 


194  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

which  at  that  time  no  officer  of  his  grade  was  with- 
out. It  was  Colonel  Del^l^e.  The  president  of  the 
deputation  of  which  he  formed  part,  seemed  embar- 
rassed and  almost  afflicted.  The  former  comrades 
of  the  Colonel  hardly  dared  to  recognize  him.  The 
most  adventurous  gave  him  a  little  nod  from  a  dis- 
tance, which  expressed  both  anxiety  and  pity.  The 
most  prudent  did  not  look  at  him  at  all. 

As  for  him,  he  remained  impassive  and  resolute. 

At  last  a  folding  door  flew  open,  and  an  usher 
cried : 

"  The  Emperor,  gentlemen." 

The  groups  broke  up ;  people  ranged  themselves 
in  two  rows.  The  Colonel  placed  himself  in  the 
first  rank. 

His  Majesty  began  his  turn  around  the  salon.  He 
addressed  remarks  to  the  president  of  each  deputa- 
tion, and  said  to  every  one  of  them  some  flattering 
words.  Arriving  in  front  of  the  deputation  of  Doubs, 
the  Emperor,  after  having  said  a  few  words  to  the 
brave  marshal  who  conducted  it,  was  about  to  pass 
on  to  others,  when  his  eyes  fell  upon  an  officer  whom 
he  had  never  seen.  He  stopped  in  surprise,  and 
addressed  his  familiar  question  to  the  deputy : 

"  Who  are  you  ?  " 

"Sire,  I  am  Colonel  Deldlde,  formerly  first  aide- 
de-camp  of  General  Moreau." 

These  words  were  uttered  in  a  steady  voice  which 
resounded  through  the  profound  silence  commanded 
by  the  presence  of  the  sovereign. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  195 

The  Emperor  drew  back  a  step,  and  fixed  both 
eyes  upon  the  Colonel.  The  latter  did  not  flinch 
before  this  glance,  but  he  bowed  slightly. 

Marshal  M was  as  pale  as  a  dead  man. 

The  Emperor  resumed :  "  What  do  you  come  to 
ask  for  here?" 

"  What  I  have  asked  for  years,  Sire ;  that  Your 
Majesty  would  deign  to  tell  me  of  what  I  am  guilty, 
or  else  restore  me  to  my  rank." 

Among  those  who  were  near  enough  to  hear  these 
questions  and  answers,  there  were  not  many  who 
could  breathe  freel}'. 

At  last  a  smile  parted  the  Emperor's  tightly  closed 
lips.  He  lifted  a  finger  to  his  mouth  as  he  approached 
the  Colonel,  and  said  to  him  in  an  almost  friendly 
tone : 

"  People  have  complained  a  little  of  that ;  but  don't 
say  any  more  about  it." 

And  he  went  on  his  way.  He  had  hardly  gone 
ten  steps  beyond  the  group  formed  by  the  deputies 
of  Besan9on,  when  he  came  back,  and  stopping 
opposite  the  Colonel : 

"  Mr.  Minister  of  War,"  said  His  Majesty,  "  take 
the  name  of  this  officer,  and  take  care  to  remind  me 
of  it.  He  is  tired  of  doing  nothing;  we  will  give 
him  some  occupation." 

As  soon  as  the  audience  was  over,  it  was  who 
should  get  to  the  Colonel  quickest.  They  surrounded 
him,  they  congratulated  him,  they  embraced  him, 
they  tore  him  away  from  each  other.     All  of  his  for- 


196  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

mer  companions  wanted  to  take  him  away  with  them. 
His  hand  could  not  grasp  all  the  hands  extended  to 

him.     General  S ,  who  only  the  day  before  had 

still  further  increased  the  alarms  of  Marshal  M 

by  expressing  his  astonishment  that  any  one  should 
have  the  audacity  to  come  and  brave  the  Emperor  in 
this  way,  stretched  his  arm  above  the  shoulders  of 
those  who  were  pressing  around  the  Colonel,  and 
shaking  hands  with  him  in  the  most  cordial  way  in 
the  world :  "  Del^l^e,"  he  cried,  "  don't  forget  that  I 
expect  you  to  breakfast  to-morrow." 

Two  days  after  this  court  scene,  Del^lde  received  his 
appointment  as  chief  of  staff  of  the  army  of  Portugal, 
commanded  by  the  Due  d'Abrantes.  His  equipments 
were  soon  ready,  and  at  the  moment  of  departing  he 
had  a  final  audience  of  the  Emperor,  who  said  to  him : 
"  Colonel,  I  know  it  is  needless  to  urge  jon  to  make 
up  for  lost  time.  Before  long,  I  hope,  we  shall  be  quite 
content  with  each  other."  On  coming  out  from  this 
last  audience,  the  brave  Del^lde  said  that  all  he  lacked 
now  to  make  him  happy  was  a  good  occasion  to  have 
himself  cut  to  pieces  for  a  man  who  knew  so  well 
how  to  close  the  wounds  of  a  long  disgrace.  Such 
was  the  empire  that  His  Majesty  exercised  over 
men's  minds. 

The  Colonel  had  soon  crossed  the  Pyrenees ;  he 
went  through  Spain  and  was  received  by  Junot  with 
open  arms.  The  army  of  Portugal  had  had  much 
to  suffer  during  the  two  years  it  had  been  fighting 
against  the  population  and  against  the  English  with 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  197 

unequal  forces.  They  were  badly  supplied  with  pro- 
visions, the  soldiers  ill  clothed  and  not  well  shod. 
The  new  chief  of  staff  did  all  in  his  power  to  remedy 
this  disorder,  and  the  soldiers  began  to  be  sensible  of 
his  presence,  when  he  fell  sick  from  overwork  and 
fatigue,  and  died  before  having,  to  use  the  Emperor's 
expression,  made  np  for  lost  time. 

I  have  said  elsewhere  that  on  every  conspiracy 
against  the  life  of  the  First  Consul,  all  the  persons  of 
his  household  were  naturally  subjected  to  close  sur- 
veillance. Their  least  proceedings  were  watched; 
they  were  followed  when  outside  the  chateau ;  their 
conduct  was  inspected  in  its  most  minute  details. 
At  the  time  when  the  Pichegru  plot  was  discovered, 
there  was  only  one  keeper  of  the  portfolio,  named 
Landoire,  and  his  place  was  therefore  one  of  the  most 
difficult,  because  he  could  never  go  away  from  a 
little  dark  corridor  on  which  the  door  of  the  cabinet 
opened,  and  he  ate  his  meals  running,  and  almost  on 
the  sly.  Luckily  for  Landoire,  they  gave  him  a 
second ;  and  on  this  occasion  Augel,  one  of  the 
palace  porters,  was  designated  by  the  First  Consul 
to  go  and  establish  himself  at  the  barrier  des  Bons- 
Hommes,  during  Fichegru's  trial,  in  order  to  reconnoi- 
tre and  observe  domestics  of  the  house  as  they  came 
and  went  about  their  service,  nobody  being  allowed 
to  leave  Paris  without  permission.  Angel's  reports 
pleased  the  First  Consul.  He  had  him  summoned, 
seemed  satisfied  with  his  answers  and  his  intelligence, 
and  appointed  him  as  substitute  for  Landoire  in  keep- 


198  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

ing  the  portfolio.  Thus  the  task  of  the  latter  became 
easier  by  half.  Augel  went  on  the  Russian  campaign, 
in  1802,  and  died  on  the  return,  when  he  was  only  a 
few  leagues  from  Paris,  in  consequence  of  the  fatigues 
and  privations  which  we  sliared  with  the  army. 

However,  it  was  not  merely  the  servants  attached  to 
the  household  of  the  First  Consul  who  found  them- 
selves subjected  to  this  regime  of  surveillance.  From 
the  time  he  became  Emperor,  he  established,  among 
the  concierges  of  all  the  imperial  palaces,  a  register 
on  which  people  from  outside,  and  strangers  who 
came  to  visit  any  one  within,  were  obliged  to  inscribe 
their  names  and  that  of  the  persons  they  came  to  see. 
Every  evening  this  register  was  carried  to  the  grand 
marshal  of  the  palace,  or  in  his  absence  to  the  gov- 
ernor ;  and  the  Emperor  often  consulted  it.  He  once 
read  there  a  name  which,  in  his  capacity  as  husband, 
he  had  his  reasons,  and  perhaps  even  reason,  for 
suspecting.  His  Majesty  had  previously  ordered  the 
absence  of  this  person ;  hence,  on  meeting  this  un- 
lucky name  again  on  the  concierge's  book,  he  was 
beside  himself  with  rage,  believing  that  both  sides  had 
dared  to  disobey  his  orders.  Information  was  sought 
for  on  the  spot,  and  it  turned  out,  very  luckily,  that 
the  suspected  visitor  was  merely  a  very  insignificant 
person,  whose  only  fault  was  that  of  bearing  a  name 
justly  compromised. 


CHAPTER   XV 

The  awakening  of  the  First  Consul,  Ma'rcli  21,  1804  —  Silence  of 
the  First  Consul  —  Josephine's  arrival  in  the  chamber  of  the 
First  Consul  —  Chagrin  of  Josephine  and  pallor  of  the  First 
Consul —  The  wretches  have  been  too  quick  —  News  of  the  death 
of  the  Due  d'Enghien  —  The  First  Consul's  emotion —  Preludes 
of  the  Empire  —  The  First  Consul  Emperor  —  The  Senate  at 
Saint-Cloud  —  CambacSres  the  first  to  salute  the  Emperor  by 
the  name  of  Sire  —  The  senators  present  their  homage  to  the 
Empress  —  Joy  in  the  chateau  —  Everybody  promoted — The 
salon  and  the  antechamber  —  Embarrassment  of  all  the  attend- 
ants —  The  first  awakening  of  the  Emperor  —  The  French 
princes — M.  Lucien  and  Madame  Jouberton  —  The  marshals 
of  the  Empire  —  Awkwardness  of  the  first  courtiers  —  The 
chamberlains  and  the  grand  officers  —  Lessons  given  by  the 
men  of  the  former  court  —  Contempt  of  the  Emperor  for 
the  anniversaries  of  the  Kevolution  —  The  Emperor's  first  fete 
and  the  first  imperial  cortege  —  The  Temple  of  Mars  and 
the  grand  master  of  ceremonies  —  Cardinal  du  Belloy  and 
the  grand  chancellor  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  —  The  man  of 
the  people  and  the  imperial  accolade  —  Departure  from  Paris 
for  the  camp  of  Boulogne — The  only  holiday  the  Emperor 
gave  me  —  My  arrival  at  Boulogne  —  Details  of  my  service  near 
the  Emperor  —  M.  de  R6musat,  MjNL  Boyer  and  Yvan — The 
Emperor's  habits  —  M.  de  Bourrienne  and  the  tip  of  the 
ear — Mania  for  giving  little  blows  —  Vivacity  of  the  Emperor 
against  his  equerry  —  M.  de  Caulaincourt,  grand  equerry  — 
Keparation  —  A  generous  gratuity. 

n^HE   3'ear   1804,  wliicli  was  so  glorious  for  the 
Emperor,  was  also,  with  the  exception  of  1814 
and  1815,  that  which  brought  him  the  most  vexa- 
tions.    It  does  not  belong  to  me  to  judge  of  such 

199 


200  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

grave  events,  nor  to  examine  what  part  the  Emperor 
took  in  them,  nor  who  are  those  who  surrounded  and 
counselled  him.  I  ought  not  and  cannot  recount 
anything  but  what  I  saw  and  heard.  March  21  of 
that  year,  I  entered  the  First  Consul's  chamber  very 
early.  I  found  him  awake,  his  elbow  leaning  on  his 
pillow ;  he  looked  sombre  and  fatigued.  On  seeing 
me  come  in,  he  sat  up,  passed  his  hand  several  times 
across  his  forehead,  and  said:  "Constant,  I  have  a 
headache."  Then  jerking  off  the  bedclothes,  he 
added :  "  I  have  slept  badly."  He  could  not  have 
seemed  more  preoccupied  and  absorbed ;  he  even  had 
a  sad  and  suffering  air  which  surprised  and  affected 
me.  While  I  was  dressing  him  he  did  not  say  a 
word  to  me,  a  thing  that  never  happened  except 
when  some  thought  disturbed  and  tormented  him. 
There  was  nobody  in  his  chamber  with  him  but 
Roustan  and  me.  At  the  moment  when,  his  toilet 
being  finished,  I  was  handing  him  his  snuff-box, 
handkerchief,  and  bonboniiiere,  the  door  suddenly 
opened  and  we  saw  the  wife  of  the  First  Consul 
appear  in  her  morning  gown,  her  features  drawn  and 
her  face  covered  with  tears.  This  sudden  apparition 
astonished  and  even  alarmed  us,  that  is,  Roustan  and 
me,  because  there  was  only  one  extraordinary  cir- 
cumstance which  could  induce  Madame  Bonaparte  to 
leave  her  room  in  this  costume,  and  before  having 
taken  all  necessary  precautions  to  disguise  the  rav- 
ages usually  hidden  by  the  toilet.  She  entered,  or 
rather  she  rushed  into  the  chamber,  crying :    "  The 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  201 

Due  d'Enghicn  is  dead  I  Ah!  my  friend,  what  have 
you  done?"  Then  she  fell  sobbing  into  the  First 
Consul's  arms.  He  became  as  pale  as  death,  and 
said  with  extraordinary  emotion :  "  T/ie  W7-etches 
have  been  too  quick!"'  Then  he  went  out,  supporting 
Madame  Bonaparte,  who  could  scarcely  walk  and 
continued  to  weep.  The  news  of  the  Prince's  death 
spread  consternation  throughout  the  chateau.  The 
First  Consul  remarked  this  universal  grief,  and  yet 
he  reproached  nobody.  The  fact  is  that  the  greatest 
chagrin  which  this  fatal  catastrophe  caused  to  his  ser- 
vitors, who  for  the  most  part  were  attached  to  him 
still  more  by  affection  than  by  duty,  sprang  from 
the  thousrht  that  it  could  not  fail  to  detract  from  the 
glory  and  tranquillity  of  their  master.  The  First 
Consul  probably  knew  how  to  interpret  our  senti- 
ments. However  that  may  be,  this  is  all  I  saw  and 
all  I  heard  in  private  of  this  deplorable  event.  I  do 
not  pretend  to  know  what  passed  in  the  interior  of 
the  cabinet.  The  First  Consul's  emotion  seemed  to 
me  sincere  and  not  affected.  He  remained  sad  and 
silent  for  several  days,  speaking  very  little  at  his 
toilet  and  only  when  necessity  required. 

During  the  course  of  this  month  and  the  next  one, 
I  noticed  the  continual  goings  and  comings,  and  the 
frequent  interviews  with  the  First  Consul  of  different 
persons  who  were  said  to  be  members  of  the  Council 
of  State,  tribunes  or  senators.  For  a  long  time  the 
army  and  the  majority  of  the  citizens,  who  idolized 
the  hero  of  Italy  and  Egypt,  had  openly  manifested 


202  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

their  desire  to  see  him  wear  a  title  worthy  of  his 
renown  and  the  grandeur  of  France.  It  was  known, 
moreover,  that  it  was  he  that  did  all  that  was  done 
in  the  State,  and  that  his  pretended  colleagues  were 
really  his  inferiors.  People  thought  it  just  that  he 
should  become  supreme  chief  in  name,  since  he  was 
already  so  in  fact.  Since  his  fall  I  have  often  heard 
His  Majesty  called  by  the  name  of  usurper ;  and  the 
only  effect  it  has  ever  produced  upon  me  has  been  to 
make  me  laugh  with  pity.  If  the  Emperor  usurped 
the  throne,  he  had  more  accomplices  than  all  the 
tyrants  of  tragedy  and  melodrama ;  for  three-fourths 
of  the  French  people  were  in  the  plot.  It  is  known 
that  it  was  May  18  when  the  Empire  was  proclaimed, 
and  that  the  First  Consul  (I  shall  call  him  the 
Emperor  hereafter)  received  the  Senate  at  Saint- 
Cloud,  led  by  Consul  Cambac(ires,  who  was  arch- 
chancellor  of  the  Empire  a  few  hours  later.  It  was 
from  his  mouth  that  the  Emperor  heard  himself  for 
the  first  time  saluted  by  the  name  of  Sire.  On  issu- 
ing from  this  audience,  the  Senate  went  to  present  its 
homage  to  the  Empress  Josephine.  The  remainder 
of  the  day  was  passed  in  receptions,  presentations, 
interviews,  and  felicitations.  Everybody  in  the  cha- 
teau was  intoxicated  with  joy,  every  one  produced 
the  effect  of  having  received  a  sudden  promotion. 
They  embraced,  they  congratulated  each  other,  they 
mutually  communicated  their  hopes  and  plans  for 
the  future:  there  was  not  even  the  meanest  subaltern 
who  was  not  seized  with  ambition;  in  a  word,  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  203 

antechamber,  saving  the  difference  of  personages, 
offered  the  exact  repetition  of  what  was  passing  in 
the  salon. 

Nothing  could  be  funnier  than  the  embarrassment 
of  all  the  attendants  when  it  was  a  question  of  how 
to  respond  to  the  interrogations  of  His  Majesty. 
They  began  by  making  mistakes ;  then  they  would 
correct  themselves  and  do  worse  still ;  they  repeated 
ten  times  in  a  minute,  sire,  general,  your  majesty,  citi- 
zen, first  consul.  Entering  the  Emperor's  chamber 
next  morning  as  usual,  I  replied  to  his  customary 
questions,  What  time  is  it?  Ho  iv  is  the  weather?  "Sire, 
seven  o'clock,  fine  weather."  Having  approached 
his  bed,  he  pulled  my  ear,  struck  me  on  the  cheek, 
and  called  me  monsieur  le  drdle  ;  it  was  his  favorite 
word  for  me  when  he  was  particularly  pleased  with 
my  service.  His  Majesty  had  sat  up  and  worked  far 
into  the  night.  He  looked  serious  and  occupied,  but 
contented.  What  a  difference  between  this  waking 
and  that  of  the  preceding  March  21. 

That  same  day  His  Majesty  went  to  hold  his  first 
grand  levee  at  the  Tuileries,  where  all  the  civil  and 
military  authorities  were  presented.  The  brothers 
and  sistei-s  of  the  Emperor  were  made  princes  and 
princesses,  with  the  exception  of  M.  Lucien,  who 
had  quarrelled  with  His  Majesty  on  the  occasion  of 
his  marriasfe  with  Madame  Jouberton.  Eighteen 
generals  were  elevated  to  the  dignity  of  marshals  of 
the  Empire.  Everything  surrounding  Their  Maj- 
esties put  on  a  semblance  of  court  and  of  royal  power 


204  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

from  this  first  day.  A  great  deal  has  been  said  of  the 
awkwardness  of  their  first  courtiers,  who  were  very- 
little  accustomed  to  the  service  imposed  on  them  by 
their  new  appointments,  and  to  the  ceremonies  of 
etiquette  ;  but  this  has  been  exaggerated  like  every- 
thing else.  There  might  well  be  in  the  commence- 
ment something  of  that  embarrassment  which  those  in 
the  Emperor's  private  service  experienced,  as  I  have 
said  above.  Still  that  lasted  only  a  short  time,  and 
the  chamberlains  and  great  officers  remodelled  them- 
selves almost  as  quickly  as  we  valets  de  chambre. 
Moreover,  there  presented  themselves  to  give  them 
lessons,  a  swarm  of  men  of  the  former  court,  who  had 
obtained  from  the  kindness  of  the  Emperor  the  favor 
of  being  struck  from  the  list  of  SmigrSs^  and  who 
eagerly  solicited  appointments  in  the  budding  impe- 
rial court  for  themselves  and  their  wives. 

His  Majesty  did  not  like  the  anniversary  fetes  of 
the  Republic ;  some  of  them  had  always  seemed  to 
him  odious  and  cruel,  and  the  others  ridiculous.  I 
have  seen  him  grow  indignant  that  they  should 
have  dared  to  make  an  annual  fete  of  the  21st  of 
January,  and  smile  with  pity  at  the  remembrance  of 
what  he  called  the  masquerades  of  the  theophilanthro- 
pists,  '•'■ivho,^''  said  he,  '■^ivould  have  none  of  Jesus 
Christy  and  made  saints  of  Fenelon  and  Las-Casas, 
Catholic  prelates.""  M.  de  Bourrienne  says  in  his 
Memoirs,  that  "  it  was  not  one  of  the  least  oddities 
of  Napoleon's  policy  that  he  should  have  kept  for 
the   first  year   of    his  reign  the  fete  of  July   14." 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  205 

Concerning  this  passage  I  will  permit  myself  to  call 
attention  to  the  fact  that,  if  His  Majesty  profited  by 
the  epoch  of  an  annual  solemnity  to  appear  in  pomp 
in  public,  on  the  other  hand  he  so  changed  the  object 
of  the  fete  that  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  recosf- 
nize  in  it  the  anniversary  of  the  taking  of  the  Bas- 
tille and  of  the  first  federation.  I  do  not  know 
whether  there  was  a  word  said  of  either  of  these  events 
in  the  whole  ceremony ;  and  to  disconcert  still  more 
the  souvenirs  of  the  Republicans,  the  Emperor  or- 
dered that  the  f^te  should  not  be  celebrated  until  the 
15th,  because  that  was  a  Sunday,  and  hence  there 
would  be  no  loss  of  time  for  the  inhabitants  of  the 
capital.  Besides,  there  was  no  question  at  all  of 
celebrating  the  conquerors  of  the  Bastille,  but  solely 
of  a  great  distribution  of  crosses  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  Their  Majesties  dis- 
played themselves  to  the  people  in  all  the  magnificence 
of  their  power.  The  procession  passed  through  the 
grand  avenue  of  the  Tuileries  on  its  way  to  the  H6tel 
des  Invalides,  whose  church,  changed  during  the 
Revolution  into  a  Temple  of  Mars^  had  been  restored 
to  the  Catholic  worship  by  the  Emperor,  and  was  to 
serve  for  the  magnificent  ceremonial  of  this  day.  It 
was  also  the  first  time  that  tlie  Emperor  used  the 
privilege  of  passing  through  the  garden  of  the  Tuile- 
ries in  a  carriage.  His  cortege  was  superb;  that  of 
the  Empress  Josephine  was  not  less  brilliant.  The 
rapt  ecstasy  of  the  people  was  at  its  height,  and  can- 


206  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

not  be  described.  By  the  Emperor's  orders,  I  had 
mingled  with  the  crowd,  so  as  to  observe  in  what 
spirit  they  took  part  in  the  fete ;  1  did  not  hear  a 
murmur ;  so  great,  whatever  may  have  been  said 
about  it  since,  was  the  enthusiasm  of  all  classes  for 
His  Majesty.  The  Emperor  and  the  Empress  were 
received  at  the  door  of  the  Invalides  by  the  governor 
and  by  the  Count  de  Segur,  grand  master  of  ceremo- 
nies ;  and  at  the  entrance  of  the  church  by  Cardinal 
du  Belloy,  at  the  head  of  a  large  number  of  the 
clergy.  After  the  Mass  M.  de  Lac^pede,  grand  chan- 
cellor of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  pronounced  a  discourse 
which  was  followed  by  the  roll-call  of  the  grand 
officers  of  the  Legion.  Then  the  Emperor  seated 
himself,  put  on  his  hat,  and  repeated  in  a  loud  voice 
the  formula  of  the  oath,  at  the  end  of  which  all  the 
legionaries  shouted:  Isivearit!  and  at  once  a  thou- 
sand-times repeated  cries  of  Long  live  the  Emperor  ! 
resounded  through  the  church  and  beyond  it.  A  sin- 
gular circumstance  enhanced  the  interest  excited  by 
the  ceremony.  While  the  knights  of  the  new  order 
were  passing  one  after  another  in  front  of  the 
Emperor  who  received  them,  a  man  of  the  people, 
wearing  a  round  jacket,  came  and  stood  on  the 
steps  of  the  throne.  His  Majesty  seemed  some- 
what astonished  and  paused  for  an  instant.  The 
man  was  questioned  and  showed  his  certificate. 
At  once  the  Emperor  showed  eagerness  to  have 
him  draw  near,  and  gave  him  the  decoration  with 
a   brisk    accolade.      On   returning,  the    cortege  fol- 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  207 

lowed   the   same   road,   passing   again   through   the 
Tuileries  garden. 

July  18,  three  days  after  this  ceremony,  the  Em- 
peror left  Saint-Cloud  for  the  camp  of  Boulogne.  I 
thought  His  Majesty  would  be  willing  to  dispense 
with  my  presence  for  several  days ;  and  as  it  was  a 
number  of  years  since  I  had  seen  my  family,  that  I 
would  experience  the  very  natural  pleasure  of  seeing 
them  again,  and  conversing  with  my  relatives  about 
the  singular  circumstances  in  which  I  had  found 
myself  since  we  parted.  I  would  have  felt,  I  confess, 
great  joy  in  chatting  with  them  about  my  present 
condition  and  my  expectations,  and  I  needed  the  ex- 
pansion and  the  confidence  of  domestic  intimacy  to 
compensate  for  the  constraint  and  annoyances  which 
my  service  imposed  on  me.  Therefore  I  asked  per- 
mission to  go  and  spend  eight  days  at  Perueltz.  It 
was  granted  without  difficulty,  and  I  lost  no  time  in 
starting.  But  what  was  my  astonishment  when,  on 
the  very  day  after  my  arrival,  I  received  by  courier 
a  letter  from  Count  Rdmusat,  who  commanded  me 
to  rejoin  the  Emperor  without  delay,  adding  that 
His  Majesty  had  need  of  me,  and  that  I  must  occupy 
myself  with  nothing  but  getting  there  promptly! 
In  spite  of  the  disappointment  I  had  experienced  on 
receiving  such  orders,  I  nevertheless  felt  flattered  at 
having  become  so  necessary  to  the  great  man  who 
had  deigned  to  admit  me  to  his  service.  Hence  I 
bade  farewell  to  my  family  without  delay.  His 
Majesty  had  scarcely  arrived  in  Boulogne  wlien  he 


208  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

set  off  again  on  an  excursion  of  several  days  to  the 
departments  of  the  North.  I  was  at  Boulogne  before 
he  returned,  and  I  hastened  to  organize  the  service 
of  His  Majesty,  who  found  everything  ready  on  his 
arrival ;  which  did  not  prevent  his  telling  me  that 
I  had  been  abserit  a  long  time. 

Since  I  am  on  that  subject,  I  will  set  down  here, 
although  it  will  be  to  anticipate  by  years,  one  or  two 
circumstances  which  will  give  the  reader  a  chance 
to  judge  for  himself  of  the  rigorous  assiduity  to 
which  I  was  obliged  to  restrict  myself. 

By  reason  of  the  fatigues  incident  to  my  continual 
journeys  in  the  train  of  the  Emperor,  I  had  con- 
tracted a  malady  of  the  bladder  from  which  I  suf- 
fered horribly.  For  a  long  time  I  armed  myself 
against  my  pains  by  patience  and  dieting:  but  the 
anguish  having  at  length  become  totally  insupport- 
able, I  requested  His  Majesty,  in  1808,  to  give  me 
a  month  to  have  myself  treated.  Doctor  Boyer  had 
told  me  that  a  month  was  the  least  time  strictly 
necessary  for  my  cure,  and  that,  without  it,  my 
malady  would  become  incurable.  My  request  was 
granted,  and  I  went  to  Saint-Cloud,  to  the  family 
of  my  wife.  M.  Yvan,  the  Emperor's  surgeon,  came 
to  see  me  every  day.  A  week  had  hardly  elapsed 
wlien  he  told  me  that  His  jNIajesty  thought  that  I 
must  be  pretty  well  cured,  and  that  he  desired  that 
I  should  resume  my  service.  This  desire  was  equiv- 
alent to  an  order;  I  felt  it,  and  I  returned  to  the 
Emperor,  who,  seeing  me  pale  and  suffering,  deigned 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  209 

to  say  a  thousand  kind  things  to  me,  but  not  a  word 
of  a  new  leave  of  absence.  These  two  absences  are 
the  only  ones  I  took  during  sixteen  years ;  hence,  on 
my  return  from  Moscow,  and  during  the  campaign 
of  France,  my  illness  had  attained  its  extremest 
phase  ;  and  if  I  quitted  the  Emperor  at  Fontaine- 
bleau,  it  was  because  it  was  impossible,  notwith- 
standing all  my  attachment  for  so  good  a  master, 
for  me  to  serve  him  any  longer.  After  this  separa- 
tion which  was  so  painful  to  me,  a  year  hardly  suf- 
ficed to  cure  me,  and  not  entirely  even  then.  But 
I  shall  have  to  speak  of  this  sad  epoch  later  on.  I 
return  to  the  recital  of  facts  which  prove  that  I 
could,  with  more  justice  than  some  others,  have  be- 
lieved myself  a  great  personage,  since  my  humble 
services  seemed  to  be  indispensable  to  the  master 
of  Europe.  A  good  many  habitues  of  the  Tuileries 
would  have  had  more  trouble  than  I  should  to  de- 
monstrate their  utility.  Is  there  too  much  vanity  in 
what  I  have  just  said?  and  the  chamberlains,  will 
they  not  have  reason  to  be  vexed  by  it?  I  can't  say 
about  that,  and  I  will  go  on  with  my  story. 

The  Emperor  clung  to  his  habits;  he  would,  as 
has  been  seen,  be  served  by  me  in  preference  to  any 
one  else  ;  and  yet  I  ought  to  say  that  these  gentle- 
men of  the  chamber  were  all  full  of  zeal  and  devo- 
tion ;  but  I  was  the  longest  in  service,  and  I  never 
quitted  him.  One  day  the  Emperor  asked  for  some 
tea  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  M.  S^ndchal  was  on 
duty ;  he  made  it  and  presented  it  to  His  Majesty, 


210  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

who  found  it  detestable.  I  was  summoned ;  the  Em- 
peror complained  to  me  that  some  one  wanted  to 
poison  him.  (That  was  his  word  when  anything  tasted 
bad.)  Going  back  to  the  pantry,  I  poured,  from  the 
same  teapot,  a  cup  which  I  arranged  and  carried  to 
His  Majesty,  with  two  silver-gilt  teaspoons,  accord- 
ing to  custom,  one  to  taste  of  it  before  the  Emperor, 
the  other  for  him.  This  time  he  found  the  tea  ex- 
cellent. He  complimented  me  on  it  with  the  benev- 
olent familiarity  he  sometimes  used  toward  his 
attendants ;  and  on  giving  me  back  the  cup,  he 
pulled  my  ears  and  said :  "  Now  teach  them  how  to 
make  tea ;  they  know  nothing  about  it." 

M.  de  Bourrienne,  whose  excellent  Memoirs  I 
have  read  with  the  greatest  pleasure,  says  some- 
where that  the  Emperor  in  his  moments  of  good 
humor  would  pinch  his  intimates  by  the  tip  of  the 
ear;  I  have  my  own  experience  that  he  pinched 
the  whole  of  it,  and  often  both  ears  at  once ;  and 
that  with  a  master  hand.  It  is  also  said  in  the  same 
Memoirs  that  he  only  gave  his  little  friendly  taps 
with  two  fingers ;  in  that  M.  de  Bourrienne  is  very 
modest ;  I  can  again  attest  thereupon  that  His 
Majesty,  although  his  hand  was  not  large,  dis- 
tributed his  favors  much  more  largely;  but  this 
species  of  caress,  as  well  as  the  preceding,  was  given 
and  received  as  a  mark  of  special  kindliness,  and 
far  from  any  one  complaining  of  it  then.,  I  have 
heard  more  than  one  dignitary  say  with  pride,  like 
that  sergeant  of  the  comedy : 


ME^fOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  211 

"  Master,  try  it  again ; 
The  blow  on  my  cheek  is  still  too  warm." 

In  his  private  life  the  Emperor  was  nearly  always 
gay,  amiable,  chatting  familiarly  with  his  atten- 
dants, and  questioning  them  about  their  family,  their 
affairs,  and  even  their  pleasures.  His  toilet  finished, 
his  face  suddenly  changed ;  he  was  grave,  thought- 
ful, he  resumed  his  imperial  air.  It  has  been  said 
that  he  often  struck  the  domestics  of  his  household ; 
that  is  false.  I  never  but  once  saw  him  yield  to  an 
impulse  of  that  description;  and  certainly  the  cir- 
cumstances which  caused  it  and  the  reparation 
which  followed  it,  may  render  it,  if  not  excusable, 
at  least  easy  to  understand.  This  is  the  fact  which 
I  witnessed,  and  which  occurred  in  the  environs  of 
Vienna,  the  day  after  the  death  of  Marshal  Lannes. 
The  Emperor  was  profoundly  affected;  he  had  not 
spoken  a  word  during  his  toilet.  He  was  hardly 
dressed  when  he  demanded  his  horse.  An  unlucky 
chance  would  have  it  that  M.  Jardin,  his  groom, 
was  not  in  the  stables  at  the  time  when  it  was  sad- 
dled, and  the  stable-man  did  not  put  his  usual  bridle 
on  the  horse.  His  Majesty  was  barely  mounted, 
when  the  animal  backed,  reared,  and  the  rider  fell 
heavily  to  the  ground.  M.  Jardin  came  up  just 
as  the  Emperor  rose,  irritated,  and  in  this  first  trans- 
port of  anger  he  received  a  cut  of  the  whip  across 
the  face.  M.  Jardin  went  aAva}^  in  despair  at  an 
ill-usage  to  which  His  Majesty  had  not  accustomed 
him,  and  a  few  hours  afterward,  M.  de  Caulaincourt, 


212  ME3I0IBS   OF  CONSTANT 

grand  equerry,  finding  himself  alone  with  His 
Majesty,  described  to  him  the  chagrin  of  his  head 
groom.  The  Emperor  expressed  keen  regret  for 
his  vivacity,  had  M.  Jardin  summoned,  talked  to 
him  with  a  kindness  which  effaced  his  injustice,  and 
sent  him,  a  few  days  later,  a  gratuity  of  three  thou- 
sand francs.  I  have  been  told  that  a  similar  thino- 1 
happened  to  M.  Vigogne  senior,  in  Egypt.  But 
even  if  that  were  true,  ought  two  such  facts  in 
the  whole  life  of  the  Emperor,  coupled  with  circum- 
stances so  well  calculated  to  make  even  the  mildest 
man  act  out  of  character,  to  suffice  to  draw  wpon 
Napoleon  the  odious  reproach  of  beating  cruelly  the 
'persons  ivlio  ivaited  on  Jam  P 

1  We  arrived  at  Tentoura  the  20tli  of  May.  It  was  very  hot 
that  day,  which  produced  a  general  discouragement.  All  we  had 
to  rest  upon  were  dry  and  burning  sands ;  on  our  right  was  an 
unfriendly  and  deserted  sea.  Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was 
already  considerable  since  we  had  quitted  Acre.  There  was  noth- 
ing clieerful  about  the  future.  This  truly  afflicting  state  in  which 
the  remnant  of  tlie  army  corps  which  had  been  called  triumphant 
found  itself,  made  an  impression  upon  the  General  which  it  was 
impossible  not  to  feel.  We  had  hardly  reached  Tentoura  when  he 
had  his  tent  set  up  ;  he  called  me  and  dictated  in  a  preoccupied  way 
an  order  that  everybody  should  walk,  and  the  horses,  mules,  and 
camels  be  given  to  the  wounded,  tlie  sick,  and  the  plague-stricken 
who  had  been  brought  along,  and  who  still  showed  any  signs  of 
life.  "  Take  that  to  Berthicr.^''  The  order  was  sent  on  the  spot. 
Hardly  had  I  got  back  to  the  tent,  when  Vigogne  senior,  equerry  to 
the  General-in-Chief,  entered,  and  touching  his  hat,  said  :  "  General., 
xohat  loill  yoxt  reserve  for  yourself?''^  In  the  first  movement  of 
anger  excited  by  this  question,  the  General-in-Chief  struck  the 
equerry  a  violent  blow  in  the  face  with  his  whip,  and  then  he 
added  in  a  terrible  voice  :  "  Everybody  is  to  go  on  foot,  and  I  the 
first :  don't  you  know  the  order  ?  Get  out."  {Memoires  de  M.  de 
Bourrienne,  tom.  2,  chap.  10,  p.  252.) 


CHAPTER   XVI 

The  Emperor's  assiduity  at  labor  —  Koustan  and  the  flask  of  eau- 
de-vie  —  Tlie  army  of  Boulogne  —  The  four  camps  —  The  Pont- 
de-Briques  —  The  Emperor's  haraque  —  The  council-chamber 

—  The  eagle  guided  by  the  tutelary  star  —  The  Emperor's  bed- 
chamber —  The  bed  —  The  furniture  —  The  telescope  room  — 
The  portmanteau  —  Distribution  of  the  rooms  —  The  semaphore 

—  The  gigantic  mortars  —  The  Emperor  launches  the  first  bomb 

—  Marshal  Soult's  haraque  —  The  Emperor  sees  Dover  and  its 
garrison  from  his  chamber  —  The  streets  of  the  camp  of  the 
right  —  A  road  cut  perpendicularly  up  the  cliff  —  The  forgotten 
engineer —  The  flotilla  —  The  forts  —  Baraqite  of  Prince  Joseph 

—  The  grenadier  stuck  in  the  mire  —  Kind  action  of  the  Emperor 

—  The  bridge  of  service  —  The  terrible  countersign  —  The  sen- 
tinels and  sailors  of  the  watch  —  Exclusion  of  women  and 
foreigners  —  The  spies  —  Fusillade  —  The  schoolmaster  shot  — 
The  incendiaries  —  Terror  in  the  city  —  Military  chant — False 

alarm  —  Consternation  —  Calmness  of  Madame  F The 

commandant  condemned  to  death,  and  pardoned  by  the  Em- 
peror. 

A  T  the  headquarters  of  Pont-de-Briqiies,  the 
Emperor  worked  as  much  as  in  his  cabinet 
at  the  Tuileries.  After  his  excursions  on  horseback, 
his  inspections,  his  visits,  his  reviews,  he  took  his 
repast  in  haste  and  re-entered  his  cabinet,  where  he 
often  worked  a  great  part  of  the  night.  He  thus 
led  the  same  sort  of  life  as  in  Paris.  In  his 
turns  on  horseback  Roustan  followed  him  every- 
where :    the  latter  always  carried  witli  him  a  little 

213 


214  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

silver  flask  of  eau-de-vie,  for  the  use  of  His  Majesty, 
who,  for  that  matter,  seldom  availed  himself  of  it. 

The  army  of  Boulogne  was  composed  of  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  infantry  and  ninety  thou- 
sand cavalry,  divided  into  four  principal  camps :  the 
camp  of  the  right,  the  camp  of  the  left,  the  cainp  of 
Wimereux,  and  the  camj)  of  Amhleteuse. 

His  Majesty  the  Emperor  had  his  headquarters  at 
Pont-de-Briques,  so  called,  I  have  been  told,  because 
there  had  been  discovered  there  the  brick  foundations 
of  an  ancient  camp  of  Ciesarl  Pont-de-Briques,  as 
I  have  said  before,  is  half  a  league  or  thereabouts 
from  Boulogne,  and  His  Majesty's  headquarters  was 
established  in  the  only  house  of  the  place  that  was 
then  habitable.  The  headquarters  was  guarded  by  a 
mounted  post  of  the  imperial  guard. 

The  four  camps  were  on  a  very  high  cliff,  domi- 
nating the  sea  in  such  a  manner  that  on  a  fair  day 
one  might  see  the  English  coast.  In  the  right  camp 
barracks  had  been  established  for  the  Emperor, 
Admiral  Bruix,  Marshal  Soult,  and  M.  Decres,  then 
minister  of  the  navy. 

The  Emperor's  barrack,  constructed  by  the  care 
of  M.  Sordi,  acting  as  chief  engineer  of  military 
communications,  and  whose  nephew,  M.  Lecat  de 
Rue,  attached  at  this  period  as  aide-de-camp  to  the 
staff  of  Marshal  Soult,  has  been  so  kind  as  to  furnish 
me  with  information  which  is  not  specially  within 
my  competence ;  —  the  barrack  of  the  Emperor,  I 
say,  was  made  of  planks,  like  the  booths  of  a  fair,  but 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  215 

with  this  difference,  that  the  planks  were  carefully 
wrought  and  painted  light  gray.  In  shape  it  was  a 
long  square,  having  two  semicircular  pavilions  at 
each  extremity.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  circular 
piazza  closed  by  a  wooden  lattice,  and  lighted  from 
without  by  reflectors  four  feet  apart.  The  windows 
were  placed  at  the  sides. 

The  pavilion  which  looked  out  to  sea  was  com- 
posed of  three  rooms  and  a  lobby.  The  principal 
room  served  for  the  council-chamber,  and  was  deco- 
rated with  silver-gray  paper  ;  the  ceiling  was  painted 
with  golden  clouds,  amidst  which  could  be  seen  a 
background  of  blue  sky,  an  eagle  holding  the  thun- 
der, and  guided  toward  England  by  a  star,  the  Em- 
peror's tutelary  star.  In  the  middle  of  this  chamber 
was  a  large  oval  table  covered  with  a  green  cloth, 
without  fringe.  There  was  nothing  in  front  of  this 
table  but  His  Majesty's  armchair,  made  of  simple 
native  wood,  covered  with  green  morocco  and  stuffed 
with  hoi'se-hair,  and  which  could  be  taken  to  pieces. 
On  the  table  was  a  boxwood  stand  for  ink  and  pens. 
This  was  the  only  furniture  of  the  council-chamber, 
where  nobody  but  the  Emperor  could  sit  down,  the 
generals  standinsf  before  him,  and  havine^  nothings 
but  the  hilt  of  their  swords  to  lean  on  during  these 
councils,  which  sometimes  lasted  three  or  four  hours. 

The  council-chamber  was  entered  through  a  lobby. 
In  this  lobby,  on  the  right  hand,  was  His  Majesty's 
bed-chamber,  which  was  closed  by  a  glass  door  and 
lighted  by  a  window  which  opened  on  the  camp  of 


216  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

the  right,  with  a  view  of  the  sea  on  the  left.  Here 
was  the  Emperor's  iron  bedstead,  with  a  large  green 
sarcenet  curtain,  fastened  to  the  ceiling  by  a  ring  of 
gilded  copper.  It  had  two  pallets,  a  hair  mattress, 
two  bolsters,  one  at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the 
foot,  and  no  pillow ;  and  two  coverlets,  one  in  white 
cotton,  the  other  in  green  sarcenet,  wadded  and 
quilted.  Two  very  simple  folding  chairs  stood  beside 
it.  The  casement  was  hung  with  small  green  sarce- 
net curtains.  This  room  was  papered  in  rose-color 
with  a  lace-work  tracery  and  an  Etruscan  border. 

Opposite  the  sleeping-room  was  another  chamber 
parallel  to  it,  in  which  was  a  sort  of  telescope  which 
had  cost  twelve  thousand  francs.  This  instrument 
was  about  four  feet  long  by  one  in  diameter.  It  was 
mounted  on  a  mahogan}-  support  some  three  feet  in 
height,  and  the  case  which  served  to  contain  it  was 
shaped  almost  like  a  piano.  In  the  same  room,  on 
two  stools,  was  a  yellow  leather  casket  wliicli  con- 
tained three  complete  changes  of  dress  and  linen. 
This  was  the  campaign  wardrobe  of  His  Majesty; 
above  it  was  a  square  hat,  lined  with  white  satin  and 
much  worn.  The  Emperor  had  a  very  sensitive  head, 
did  not  like  new  hats  and  kept  the  same  ones  a  long 
while. 

The  main  body  of  the  imperial  barrack  was  divided 
into  three  rooms:  a  salon,  a  vestibule,  and  a  large 
dining-room  which  communicated  with  the  kitchens 
by  a  lobby  parallel  to  that  I  have  just  described. 
Outside  of  the  barrack,  and  in  the  direction  of  the 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  217 

kitchens,  was  a  little  thatched  cabin  which  served 
as  a  laundry  and  scullery. 

The  barrack  of  Admiral  Bruix  was  arranged  in 
the  same  way  as  the  Emperor's,  but  on  a  smaller 
scale.  The  signal  semaphore  was  beside  it,  a  sort 
of  maritime  telegraph  for  making  signals.  A  little 
further  off  was  the  ordnance  tower,  a  terrible 
battery  composed  of  six  mortars,  six  howitzers,  and 
twelve  twenty-four  pounders.  These  six  mortars, 
the  greatest  in  calibre  that  had  ever  been  made,  were 
sixteen  inches  thick,  carried  forty-five  pounds  of 
powder  in  the  chamber,  and  sent  seven-hundred- 
pound  bombs  fifteen  hundred  fathoms  into  the  air 
and  a  league  and  a  half  out  to  sea.  Each  bomb 
fired  cost  the  State  three  hundred  francs.  Lances 
twelve  feet  in  length  were  employed  in  touching 
off  these  frightful  macliines,  and  the  cannoneer 
protected  himself  as  much  as  possible  by  putting 
his  head  between  his  legs  and  not  rising  until  after 
the  discharge.  The  Emperor  wished  to  launch  the 
first  bomb  himself. 

Marshal  Soult's  barrack  was  on  the  right  of  the 
ordnance  tower.  It  was  built  like  the  hut  of  a 
savage,  covered  with  thatch  down  to  the  ground, 
lighted  from  above,  and  with  a  door  by  which  one 
descended  into  apartments  which  seemed  buried. 
The  principal  room  was  round;  there  was  a  large 
work  table  in  it  covered  with  green  cloth  and 
surrounded  by  small  camp-stools. 

The  last  barrack  was  that  of  M.  Decr^s,  minister 


218  ME2I0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 

of  the  navy,  which  was  built  and  arranged  like  that 
of  Marshal  Soult. 

From  his  barrack  the  Emperor  could  observe  all 
the  manoeuvres  at  sea,  and  the  telescope  of  which  I 
have  spoken  was  so  good  that  Dover  castle,  with  its 
garrison,  was,  so  to  say,  under  tlie  eyes  of  His 
Majesty. 

The  right  camp,  established  on  the  cliff,  was  di- 
vided into  streets  each  of  which  bore  the  name  of 
some  distinguished  general.  This  cliff  was  bris- 
tling with  batteries  from  Boulogne  to  Ambleteuse, 
that  is  to  say,  for  a  distance  of  more  than  ten  leagues. 

To  go  from  Boulogne  to  the  right  camp,  there  was 
but  one  road,  which  began  in  the  rue  des  Vieillards 
and  passed  to  the  cliff  between  His  Majesty's  bar- 
rack and  those  of  ]\IM.  Bruix,  Soult,  and  Decres. 
When  the  Emperor  wished  to  go  down  on  the  beach 
at  low  tide,  he  had  to  make  a  great  detour.  One 
day  he  complained  of  it  very  loudly.  M.  Bonnefoux, 
maritime  prefect  of  Boulogne,  heard  His  Majesty's 
complaints,  and  addressing  himself  to  M.  Sordi, 
engineer  of  military  communications,  he  asked  if  it 
were  not  possible  to  remedy  this  serious  incon- 
venience. The  engineer  replied  that  the  thing  was 
feasible ;  means  could  be  found  by  which  His  Majesty 
could  go  directly  from  his  barrack  to  the  beach,  but 
that,  on  account  of  the  excessive  elevation  of  the 
cliff,  it  would  be  necessary  to  dig  the  road  in  a  zig- 
zag to  avoid  the  rapidity  of  the  descent.  "  Make  it 
as  you  think  best,"  said  the  Emperor,  "but  I  must 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  219 

go  down  by  it  in  three  days."  The  skilful  engineer 
set  to  work ;  in  three  days  and  three  nights,  a  road 
of  stones  fastened  together  by  iron  clamps  was  con- 
structed, and  the  Emperor,  charmed  by  such  dili- 
gence and  talent,  set  M.  Sordi  down  for  the  next 
distribution  of  crosses.  It  is  not  known  by  what 
regrettable  negligence  this  skilful  man  was  for- 
gotten. 

The  harbor  of  Boulogne  contained  about  seven- 
teen hundred  vessels,  such  as  flatboats,  gunboats, 
skiffs,  lighters,  bomb-ketches,  etc.  The  entrance  of 
the  port  was  defended  by  an  enormous  chain  and  by 
four  forts,  two  on  the  right  and  two  on  the  left. 

The  Musoir  fort,  on  the  left,  was  armed  by  three 
formidable  batteries,  placed  one  above  the  other ;  the 
second  and  third  by  thu-ty-six  pounders.  On  the 
right  of  this  fort  was  the  tow-bridge,  and  behind  this 
bridge  an  old  tower  called  the  Croi  tower,  garnished 
with  good  and  handsome  batteries.  On  the  left, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  fort  Musoir,  was 
fort  la  Creche,  advanced  a  good  way  into  the  sea, 
built  of  cut  stone,  and  terrible.  On  the  right  of  this, 
finally,  was  the  wooden  fort,  armed  in  a  prodigious 
manner,  and  pierced  by  a  large  opening,  which  was 
exposed  at  low  tide. 

On  the  cliff  at  the  left  of  the  city,  the  same  height 
as  the  other  or  very  near  it,  was  the  left  camp. 
Here  could  be  seen  the  barrack  of  Prince  Joseph, 
then  colonel  of  the  4tli  regiment  of  the  line.  This 
barrack  was  thatched.     At  the  foot  of  this  camp  and 


220  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

of  the  cliff,  the  Emperor  had  a  basin  dug  by  a  part 
of  the  troops. 

It  was  in  this  basin  that  a  young  soldier  of  the 
guard,  up  to  his  knees  in  mud,  was  pulling  with  all 
his  might  to  disengage  his  wheelbarrow,  which  was 
still  more  muddy  than  he ;  but  he  could  not  manage 
it,  and,  all  covered  with  sweat,  he  swore  and  cursed 
like  an  angry  grenadier.  All  of  a  sudden,  as  he 
happened  to  lift  his  eyes,  he  perceived  the  Emperor, 
Avho  was  passing  by  the  works  to  go  and  see  his 
brother  Joseph,  at  the  camp  of  the  left.  Thereupon 
he  began  to  look  at  him  with  a  suppliant  air  and 
gestures,  singing  in  an  almost  sentimental  tone: 
"  Come,  come  unto  my  aid.''^  His  Majesty  could  not 
avoid  smiling,  and  he  made  a  sign  to  the  soldier  to 
approach,  which  the  poor  devil  did,  brushing  off  the 
mud  with  much  difficulty.  "What  is  your  regi- 
ment? "  "  Sire,  the  first  of  the  guard."  —  "  Since  when 
have  you  been  a  soldier?"  "Since  you  have  been 
Emperor,  Sire." — '•'•Dlahle!  that's  not  long — Not 
long  enough  for  me  to  make  you  an  officer,  is  it? 
But  conduct  yourself  well  and  I'll  have  you  made 
sergeant-major.  After  that,  if  you  like,  the  cross  and 
the  epaulettes  on  the  first  battle-field.  Are  you  con- 
tent?" "  Yes,  Sire."  "  Major-general,"  continued  the 
Emperor,  turning  to  General  Berthier,  "take  the 
name  of  this  young  man.  Make  them  give  him 
three  hundred  francs  to  clean  his  pantaloons  and 
have  his  wheelbarrow  mended."  And  Ilis  Majesty 
went  on,  amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  soldiers. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  221 

At  the  inner  side  of  the  harbor  was  a  wooden 
bridge  which  was  called  the  pont  de  service.  The 
powder  magazines  were  behind  it  and  they  contained 
immense  munitions.  After  nightfall  no  one  entered 
by  this  bridge  without  giving  the  countersign  to  the 
second  sentinel,  for  the  first  one  always  allowed 
people  to  pass.  But  he  did  not  allow  them  to  return. 
If  the  person  coming  on  the  bridge  did  not  know  or 
had  forgotten  the  countersign,  he  was  sent  back  by 
the  second  sentinel,  and  the  first  one,  placed  at  the 
head  of  the  bridge,  had  express  orders  to  run  his 
bayonet  through  the  imprudent  one  who  had  entered 
this  dangerous  passage  without  being  able  to  answer 
the  questions  of  the  sentries.  These  rigorous  pre- 
cautions were  rendered  necessary  by  the  proximity 
of  the  terrible  magazines,  which  a  spark  might  blow 
up  along  with  the  city,  the  fleet,  and  the  two  camps. 

At  night  the  port  was  closed  by  the  great  chain 
which  I  have  spoken  of,  and  the  wharves  were  pro- 
tected by  sentinels  placed  fifteen  feet  apart.  Every 
quarter  of  an  hour  they  cried :  "  Sentinels,  take  care 
of  yourselves  f'  And  the  marines  stationed  in  the 
top-sails  would  respond  to  this  cry  by  that  of :  "  AlVs 
well,'''  pronounced  in  a  drawling  and  melancholy 
voice.  Nothing  more  monotonous  and  sad  than  this 
continual  murmur,  this  roll  of  voices  all  howling  in 
the  same  tone,  and  all  the  more  so  because  those  who 
uttered  these  cries  did  all  they  knew  how  to  make 
them  as  alarming  as  possible. 

Women  not  domiciled  in  Boulo^rne  were  forbidden 


222  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

to  stay  there  without  a  special  authorization  from  the 
minister  of  police.  This  measure  had  been  deemed 
necessary  on  account  of  the  army.  Otherwise,  each 
soldier  might  fetch  a  woman  to  Boulogne ;  and  God 
knows  what  disorder  that  would  have  entailed.  And 
in  general,  foreigners  were  not  received  into  the  city 
without  the  greatest  difficulty. 

In  spite  of  all  these  precautions,  spies  from  the 
English  fleet  were  daily  introduced  into  the  city. 
No  mercy  was  shown  them  when  they  were  discov- 
ered; and  yet  emissaries,  who  landed  from  no  one 
knew  where,  came  to  the  theatre  in  the  evenings, 
and  pushed  imprudence  so  far  as  to  write  their 
opinions  of  the  actors  and  actresses,  whom  they 
designated  by  name,  and  to  paste  these  writings  on 
the  walls  of  the  theatre.  They  braved  the  police  in 
this  Avay.  One  day  two  little  boats  covered  with 
tarred  canvas  were  found  on  the  shore,  which  these 
gentlemen  had  probably  employed  for  their  excur- 
sions. 

In  June,  1804,  eight  English  were  arrested,  per- 
fectly well  dressed,  in  white  silk  stockings,  etc. 
They  had  sulphur  machines  about  them  designed  to 
set  the  fleet  on  fire.  They  were  shot  at  the  end  of 
an  hour  without  any  other  trial. 

There  were  traitors  also  at  Boulogne.  A  school- 
master, the  secret  agent  of  Lords  Keith  and  Melville, 
was  surprised  one  morning  on  the  cliff  of  the  camp 
of  the  right  making  telegraphic  signals  with  his  arms. 
Arrested  almost  at  the  same   moment  by  the   sen- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  223 

tries,  he  wanted  to  protest  his  innocence  and  turn 
the  thing  into  a  joke.  But  his  papers  were  searched 
and  a  correspondence  found  among  them  with  the 
English  which  proved  his  treason  to  demonstration. 
He  was  brought  before  the  council  of  war  and  shot 
the  next  day 

One  evening,  between  eleven  o'clock  and  midnight, 
a  fire-ship,  rigged  in  the  French  style,  carrying  a 
French  flag,  and  having  quite  the  appearance  of  a 
gunboat,  advanced  toward  the  line  of  broadside  and 
passed.  By  an  unpardonable  negligence,  the  chain  of 
the  port  was  not  stretched  that  night.  This  fire-ship 
was  followed  by  a  second,  which  blew  up  and  carried 
with  it  a  shallop.  The  explosion  gave  the  alarm  to 
the  whole  fleet:  on  the  instant  lights  were  burninsr 
all  around,  and,  thanks  to  these  lights,  the  beholders, 
to  their  inexpressible  anxiety,  saw  the  first  fire-ship 
advancing  between  the  jetties.  Two  or  three  pieces 
of  wood  attached  with  cables  luckily  arrested  its 
progress.  It  exploded  with  such  an  uproar  that  all 
the  windows  in  the  city  were  broken,  and  a  great 
number  of  the  inhabitants  who,  for  lack  of  beds,  were 
sleeping  on  tables,  were  thrown  to  the  floor  and 
awakened  by  the  fall  without  comprehending  what 
had  happened.  In  ten  minutes  everybody  was  afoot. 
They  thought  the  English  were  in  the  harbor.  Then 
there  was  trouble,  a  tumult,  cries  to  deafen  one. 
Criers  preceded  by  drums  were  sent  around  the  city, 
who  reassured  the  inhabitants  by  telling  them  that 
the  danger  was  over. 


224  ME3I0IRS  OF  CONSTANT 

The  next  clay  ballads  were  made  on  this  nocturnal 
alarm.  They  were  presently  in  all  mouths.  I  have 
preserved  one  which  I  am  going  to  set  down  here, 
and  which  is  the  one  the  soldiers  sang  the  longest : 

Depuis  longtemps  la  Bretague 
Pour  imiter  la  Montague, 
Mena9ait  le  continent 
D'un  f uneste  evenenient. 
Dans  les  ombres  du  mystere 
Vingt  monstres  ^  elle  enfanta. 
Pitts'ecria:  "  j'en  siiis  pere," 
Et  personne  n'en  douta. 

Bientot  dans  la  nuit  profonde, 
Melville  ^  lance  sur  I'onde 
Tons  ces  monstres  nouveau-nes, 
Pour  Boulogne  destines. 
Lord  Keith,  en  bonne  nourrice, 
Dans  son  sein  les  tient  caches  : 
Le  flot  lui  devient  propice, 
Et  les  enfants  sont  laches. 

Le  Fran9ais,  qui  toujours  veille, 
Vers  le  bruit  prete  I'oreille ; 
Mais  il  ne  soup9onnait  pas 
Des  voisins  si  sc^lerats. 
Son  etoile  tutelaire 
Semble  briller  a  ses  yeux : 
Le  danger  meuie  I'eclaire 
En  I'eclairant  de  ses  feux. 

1  It  was  afterwards  known  that  there  had  been  twenty  of  these 
fire-ships  intended  to  destroy  the  fleet. 

^  The  English  fleet  was  coumianded  by  Lords  Melville  and 
Keith. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  225 


Cette  infernale  famille 
S'approche  de  la  flotille  : 
En  expirant  elle  fait 
Beaucoup  de  bruit,  peu  d'effet. 
Les  marques  qu'elle  a  laisseea 
De  sa  brillant  valeur, 
Sont  quelques  vitres  cassees 
Et  la  honte  de  I'auteur. 

Mons.  Pitt,  sur  votre  rivage 
Vous  bravez  notre  courage, 
Bien  convaincu  que  jamais 
Vous  ii'y  verrez  les  Fran9ais. 
Vous  comptez  sur  la  distance, 
Vos  vaisseaux  et  vos  bourgeois ; 
Mais  les  soldats  de  la  France 
Vous  feront  compter  deux  fois. 

Dans  nos  clialoupes  agiles, 
Les  vents  devenus  dociles, 
Vous  retenant  dans  vos  ports, 
Nous  conduiront  a  vos  bords  ; 
Vous  for^ant  a  Tarine  egale 
Vous  verrez  que  nos  soldats 
Ont  la  machine  infernale 
Placee  au  bout  de  leurs  bras.^ 


1  Britain  for  a  long  time  past, 
Imitating  the  Mountain, 
Has  tlireatencd  the  continent 
With  a  terrible  event. 
In  the  shades  of  mystery, 
Twenty  monsters  slie  brought  forth. 
"  I'm  their  father,"  Pitt  exclaimed, 
And  no  one  had  a  doubt  about  it. 

Presently  in  darkness  deep, 
Melville  launched  upon  the  wave 

VOL.    I.  Q 


226  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Another  alarm,  but  of  a  totally  different  kind, 
turned  all  Boulogne  upside  down  in  the  autumn  of 
1804.  Toward  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  chim- 
ney caught  fire  on  the  right  of  the  port.  The  light 
of  this  fire,  shining  through  the  masts  of  the  fleet, 
alarmed  the  commandant  of  a  post  which  was  on  the 
opposite  side.  At  this  epoch  all  the  vessels  were 
loaded  with  powder  and  munitions.  The  poor  com- 
mandant lost  his  head ;  he  screamed:  '-'- 3Ii/  lads,  the 
fleet  is  on  fire,'''  and  he  had  the  general  alarm  beat. 
This  frightful  news  flew  like  lightning.  In  less 
than  half   an   hour,   more    than  sixty  thousand   men 

All  these  monsters  newly  born, 
For  Boulogne  intended. 
Lord  Keith,  as  a  good  nurse, 
Kept  them  in  his  bosom  hidden  : 
The  tide  became  propitious. 
And  the  infants  were  let  loose. 

The  Frenchman,  who  always  watches, 

Toward  the  uproar  bends  his  ear  ; 

But  he  does  not  suspect 

Such  rascally  neighbors. 

His  tutelary  star 

Seems  shining  in  his  eyes  : 

The  danger  itself  enlightens  him 

By  illumining  him  with  its  fires. 

This  infernal  family 

Approaches  the  flotilla : 

In  expiring  it  makes 

A  good  deal  of  noise  and  small  effect. 

The  marks  it  has  left 

Of  its  brilliant  valor, 

Arc  a  few  broken  windows 

And  its  author's  shame. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  227 

debouched  on  the  quays ;  the  tocsin  was  sounded  in 
all  the  churches,  the  forts  discharged  alarm  guns ; 
and  drummers  and  trumpeters  began  running 
through  the  streets  and  making  an  infernal  racket. 

The  Emperor  was  at  headquarters  when  this 
terrible  cry :  "  The  fleet  is  on  fire  !  "  came  to  his  ears. 
"  It  is  impossible  !  "  he  cried  at  once.  Nevertheless 
we  set  off  instantly. 

What  a  frightful  spectacle  I  witnessed  when  we 
entered  the  city !  Women  in  tears,  holding  their 
infants  in  their  arms  and  running  like  mad  while 
uttering  shrieks  of  despair;  men  abandoning  their 
houses,  carrying  away  their  most  precious  objects, 
knocking  against  and  bruising  each  other  in  the 
darkness.  From  all  sides  one  heard  cries  of :  "  Look 
out  for  yourself !     We  are  going  to  skip !     We  are 


Mr.  Pitt,  on  your  shore, 
You  affront  our  courage, 
Well  convinced  that  never 
"Will  you  see  the  Frenchmen  there. 
You  reckon  on  the  distance, 
Your  vessels  and  your  citizens : 
But  the  soldiers  of  France 
Will  make  you  reckon  twice. 

In  our  nimble  shallops, 
The  winds  becoming  docile, 
You  retaining  in  your  ports. 
Us  conducting  to  your  shores, 
Forcing  you  to  equal  weapons. 
You  will  see  that  our  soldiers 
Have  the  infernal  machine 
Just  at  the  end  of  their  arms. 


228  ME3I0IIiS   OF  CONSTANT 

all  ruined  !  "  and  maledictions,  blasphemies,  and  lam- 
entations enough  to  make  your  hair  stand  up. 

His  Majesty's  aides-de-camp  and  those  of  General 
Soult  galloped  wherever  they  could  pass,  stopping 
the  drummers  and  asking  them :  "  Why  do  you  beat 
the  general?  Who  ordered  you  to  beat  the  gen- 
eral?" "We  know  nothing  about  it,"  was  the 
reply;  and  'the  drums  kept  on  beating,  and  the 
tumult  increasing,  and  the  crowd  hurled  themselves 
to  the  gates,  struck  with  a  terror  which  an  instant  of 
reflection  would  have  banished.  But  fear  admits  of 
no  reflection,  unfortunately. 

It  is  true  to  say,  however,  that  a  number  of  the 
inhabitants,  less  timid  than  the  others,  remained 
tranquilly  at  home,  knowing  very  well  that  if  the 
fleet  were  on  fire  they  would  not  have  had  time  to 
make  an  outcry.  These  did  all  in  their  power  to  re- 
assure the  frightened  crowd.     INIadame  F ,  the 

very  pretty  and  amiable  wife  of  a  clockmaker,  was 
busy  in  her  kitchen  preparing  supper  when  a  neigh- 
bor entered  in  great  alarm  and  said  to  her :  "  Save 
yourself,  Madame,  you  have  not  a  minute  to  lose ! " 
"Why,  what's  the  matter?  "  —  "  The  fleet  is  afire." 
"Ah!  bah!"  — "Fly,  Madame,  fly!  I  tell  you  the 
fleet  is  on  fire."  And  the  neighbor  took  Madame 
F by  the  arm  and  gave  her  a  strong  pull.  Ma- 
dame F was  just  then  holding  a  pan  in  which 

there  were  some  apple  fritters.  "  Take  care !  you 
are  making  me  spoil  my  fritters,"  said  she,  laughing ; 
and  a  few  words,  between  jest  and   earnest,  were 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  229 

enough  to  reassure  the  poor  devil,  who  ended  by 
deriding  himself. 

At  last  the  tumult  quieted  down ;  a  profound  calm 
succeeded  to  this  alarm,  no  explosion  had  been  heard. 
Was  it  a  false  alarm  then?  Everybody  went  back 
home  no  longer  thinking  of  fire,  but  disturbed  by 
another  fear.  Robbers  might  well  have  profited  by 
the  absence  of  the  inhabitants  to  pillage  the  houses. 
.  .  .  By  good  luck,  no  accident  of  this  kind  had 
occurred. 

The  next  day,  the  poor  commandant  who  had  taken 
and  given  the  alarm  so  unseasonably,  was  brought 
before  the  council  of  war.  He  had  no  bad  inten- 
tions, but  the  law  was  formal.  He  was  condemned 
to  death,  but  his  judges  recommended  him  to  the 
clemency  of  the  Emperor,  who  pardoned  him. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

Distribution  of  crosses  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  at  the  camp  of 
Boulogne  —  The  helmet  of  Duguesclin  —  Prince  Joseph,  colonel 

—  Boat  and  horse  races  —  Jealousy  of  a  council  of  superior 
officers  —  Justice  rendered  by  the  Emperor  —  Unlucky  fall 
followed  by  a  triumph  —  A  point-blank  petition  —  The  minister 
of  marine  falls  into  the  water — The  Emperor's  gaiety  —  The 
epicurean  general  —  A  boulangere  danced  by  the  Emperor  and 
Madame  Bertrand  —  Boulognese  women  at  the  ball  —  The  mac- 
aroons and  the  reticules — La  Mar^chale  Soult  queen  of  the  ball 

—  The  beautiful  suppliant  —  The  provision  dealer  condemned  to 
death  —  Clemency  of  the  Emperor. 

~\ /TANY  of  the  brave  fellows  who  composed  the 
army  of  Boulogne  had  merited  the  cross  in  the 
last  campaigns.  His  Majesty  desired  this  distribu- 
tion to  be  a  solemnity  which  should  leave  immortal 
memories.  He  selected  for  it  the  daj^  after  his  own 
birthday,  August  16,  1804.  Nothing  more  beautiful 
was  ever  seen,  nor  could  be  seen  perhaps. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  more  than  eighty 
thousand  men  started  from  the  four  camps  and  ad- 
vanced by  divisions,  drummers  and  musicians  at  the 
head,  toward  the  level  ground  of  the  Hubert  mill, 
situated  on  the  cliff  beyond  the  right  camp.  In  this 
plain,  with  its  back  turned  toward  the  sea,  a  scaffold- 
ing some  fifteen  feet  high  had  been  erected.  It  was 
ascended  by  three  stairways,  one  in  the  middle  and 

230 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  231 

one  at  either  side,  all  three  covered  by  superb  carpets. 
On  this  amphitheatre  of  about  forty  feet  square,  were 
three  platforms.  The  middle  one  supported  the  im- 
perial armchair,  decorated  Avith  flags  and  trophies. 
The  platform  on  the  left  was  covered  with  seats  for 
the  brothers  of  the  Emperor  and  the  great  dignitaries. 
That  on  the  right  supported  a  tripod  of  antique 
shape  on  which  was  a  helmet,  the  helmet  of  Dugues- 
clin,  I  think,  filled  with  crosses  and  ribbons ;  beside 
the  tripod  a  seat  had  been  placed  for  the  arch- 
chancellor. 

At  about  three  hundred  feet  from  the  throne,  the 
ground  rose  in  a  gentle  slope  that  was  nearly  round ; 
it  was  on  this  slope  that  the  troops  arranged  them- 
selves in  a  half-circle.  On  an  eminence  at  the  right 
of  the  throne  were  scattered  sixty  or  eighty  tents 
made  of  naval  ensigns.  They  were  for  the  ladies  of 
the  city,  and  they  produced  a  charming  effect.  They 
were  so  far  from  the  throne  that  those  who  occupied 
them  were  obliged  to  use  lorgnettes.  Between  these 
tents  and  the  throne  was  a  part  of  the  imperial  guard 
on  horseback,  ranged  in  order  of  battle. 

The  weather  was  magnificent ;  not  a  cloud  was  in 
the  sky:  the  English  cruiser  had  disappeared,  and 
nothincr  was  in  sigfht  at  sea  but  the  line  of  broadside 
superbly  hung  with  flags. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  salvo  of  artillery 
announced  the  departure  of  the  Emperor.  His 
Majesty  started  from  his  barrack,  surrounded  by  more 
than   eighty   generals   and    two    hundred    aides-de- 


232  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTA^'T 

camp ;  he  was  followed  by  his  entire  household. 
The  Emperor  wore  the  uniform  of  a  colonel-general 
of  foot-guards,  and  came  at  a  gallop  to  the  foot  of 
the  throne,  amidst  universal  acclamations  and  the 
most  frightful  racket  that  could  be  made  by  drums, 
trumpets,  and  cannons,  beating,  sounding,  and  thun- 
dering together. 

His  Majesty  ascended  the  throne,  followed  by  his 
brothers  and  some  of  the  great  dignitaries.  When 
he  was  seated,  everybody  took  his  place,  and  the  dis- 
tribution of  crosses  began  in  the  following  manner : 
an  aide-de-camp  of  the  Emperor  called  the  designated 
soldiers,  who  came  one  by  one,  halted  at  the  foot  of 
the  throne,  saluted,  and  mounted  the  staircase  on  the 
right.  They  were  received  by  the  arch-chancellor, 
who  gave  them  their  brevet.  Two  pages,  stationed 
between  the  tripod  and  the  Emperor,  took  the 
decoration  from  the  helmet  of  Duguesclin  and 
handed  it  to  His  Majesty,  who  attached  it  himself  to 
the  hero's  breast.  As  he  did  so,  more  than  eight 
hundred  drummers  beat  a  roll,  and  when  the  deco- 
rated soldier  came  down  from  the  throne  by  the  stair- 
case on  the  left,  passing  in  front  of  the  Emperor's 
brilliant  staff,  fanfares  executed  by  more  than  twelve 
hundred  musicians  signalized  the  return  of  the 
legionary  to  his  company.  It  is  needless  to  say  that 
the  cry  of  Lonff  live  the  Emperor  was  repeated  twice 
at  each  decoration. 

The  distribution,  begun  at  ten  o'clock,  terminated 
about    three.      Then    the  aides-de-camp   were   seen 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  233 

passing  through  the  divisions ;  a  salvo  of  artillery 
was  heard,  and  eighty  thousand  men  advanced  in 
serried  columns  to  within  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet 
of  the  throne.  The  most  profound  silence  succeeded 
to  the  roll  of  the  drums,  and  the  Emperor  having 
given  his  orders,  the  troops  manoeuvred  for  nearly 
an  hour.  Afterward  each  division  defiled  in  front 
of  the  throne  on  the  way  hack  to  camp,  each  chief 
lowering  the  point  of  his  sword  as  he  passed  by. 

Prince  Joseph,  who  had  newly  been  made  colonel 
of  the  4th  regiment  of  the  line,  was  observed  to 
salute  his  brother  as  he  passed  in  a  manner  more 
graceful  than  military.  The  Emperor  repressed  by 
a  contraction  of  the  eyebrows  the  somewhat  critical 
remarks  which  his  former  companions  seemed  in- 
clined to  permit  themselves  on  the  subject.  Save 
for  this  slight  movement.  His  Majesty's  countenance 
had  never  been  more  radiant. 

At  the  moment  when  the  troops  were  defiling, 
the  wind,  which  had  been  blowing  violently  for  two 
or  three  hours,  became  terrible.  An  orderly  officer 
came  running  up  to  tell  the  Emperor  that  four  or 
five  gunboats  had  run  aground.  The  Emperor  at 
once  left  the  plain  at  a  gallop,  followed  by  several 
marshals,  and  went  to  station  himself  on  the  beach. 
The  crew  of  the  gunboats  were  saved,  and  the 
Emperor  returned  to  Pont-de-Briques. 

This  great  army  could  not  regain  its  cantonments 
before  eight  in  the  evening.  The  next  day,  the  left 
camp  gave  a  military  fete,  at  which  the  Emperor  was 


234  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

present.  From  morning,  boats  mounted  on  wheels 
went  full  sail  through  the  streets  of  the  camp,  im- 
pelled by  a  favorable  wind.  Officers  amused  them- 
selves by  chasing  them  at  a  gallop,  and  seldom 
caught  up  to  them.  These  exercises  lasted  for  an 
hour  or  two ;  but,  the  wind  changing,  the  boats  cap- 
sized, amidst  shouts  of  laughter. 

Next  came  a  horse-race.  The  prize  was  twelve 
hundred  francs.  A  lieutenant  of  di'agoons,  much 
esteemed  in  his  company,  asked  the  favor  of  com- 
peting. But  the  haughty  council  of  superior  officers 
refused  to  admit  him,  on  the  pretext  that  his  rank 
was  not  high  enough,  but  in  reality  because  he  was 
considered  a  horseman  of  prodigious  skill.  Stung 
to  the  quick  by  this  unjust  refusal,  the  lieutenant 
of  dragoons  addressed  himself  to  the  Emperor,  who 
permitted  him  to  run  with  the  others,  after  having 
made  inquiries  the  result  of  which  apprised  him  that 
this  brave  officer  was  the  sole  support  of  a  numerous 
family,  and  that  his  conduct  was  irreproachable. 

At  a  given  signal  the  riders  started.  The  lieu- 
tenant was  not  slow  in  passing  the  others ;  he  was 
about  to  touch  the  goal,  when,  by  an  unlucky  acci- 
dent, a  poodle-dog  stupidly  ran  between  his  horse's 
legs,  and  it  fell.  An  aide-de-camp  who  was  directly 
behind  him  was  proclaimed  victor.  The  lieutenant 
picked  himself  up  as  well  as  he  could,  and  was  about 
to  withdraw  very  disconsolatel3%  yet  somewhat  con- 
soled by  the  marks  of  interest  displayed  by  the  spec- 
tators, when  the  Emperor  had  him  called  and  said: 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  235 

"You  deserve  the  prize  and  you  shall  have  it.  .  .  . 
I  make  you  a  captain."  And  turning  to  the  grand 
marshal  of  the  palace :  "  Have  them  pay  twelve  hun- 
dred francs  to  Captain  N "  (the  name  escapes 

me).  And  everybody  began  shouting:  Long  live  the 
Emperor!  and  congratulating  the  new  captain  on 
his  fortunate  fall. 

In  the  evening  there  were  fireworks  that  could  be 
seen  from  the  coast  of  England.  Thirty  thousand 
soldiers  executed  manoeuvres  with  rockets  in  their 
muskets.  These  rockets  rose  to  an  incredible  height. 
The  bouquet,  which  represented  the  arms  of  the  Em- 
pire, was  so  fine  that  during  five  minutes  Boulogne, 
the  surrounding  countr}^,  and  the  whole  coast  was  as 
bright  as  day. 

Some  da3-s  after  these  fetes,  as  the  Emperor  was 
passing  from  one  camp  to  the  -other,  a  sailor,  who 
was  on  the  watch  for  him  that  he  might  present  a 
petition,  found  himself  caught  in  a  torrent  of  rain, 
and  fearing  that  his  paper  might  be  spoilt,  he  shel- 
tered himself  behind  an  isolated  barrack  on  the 
beach  where  ropes  were  kept.  He  had  been  wait- 
ing there  a  long  time,  drenched  to  the  skin,  Avhen 
he  saw  the  Emperor  coming  down  from  the  left 
camp  at  full  gallop.  Just  as  His  Majesty,  still  gal- 
loping, was  about  to  pass  the  barrack,  my  brave 
sailor,  who  was  lying  in  wait  for  him,  sprang  from 
his  hiding-place  and  threw  himself  in  front  of  the 
Emperor,  liolding  out  his  petition  in  the  attitude  of 
a  fencing-master  making  a  lunge.     The  Emperor's 


236  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTAjS^T 

horse  sprang  aside  and  came  to  a  full  stop,  fright- 
ened by  this  sudden  apparition.  His  Majesty,  as- 
tonished for  a  moment,  cast  a  dissatisfied  glance  at 
the  seaman,  and  went  on  his  way,  without  taking 
the  petition  which  was  presented  in  such  a  bizarre 
fashion. 

It  was  on  that  day,  I  think,  that  the  minister  of 
the  navy,  M.  Decres,  had  the  ill-luck  to  tumble  into 
the  water,  to  the  great  amusement  of  His  Majesty. 
In  order  to  permit  His  Majesty  to  go  from  the 
quay  to  a  gunboat,  a  single  plank  had  been  thrown 
between  the  two.  His  Majesty  passed,  or  rather 
jumped  across  this  light  bridge,  and  was  received 
on  board  in  the  arms  of  a  seaman  of  the  guard. 
M.  Decres,  much  fatter  and  less  nimble  than  the 
Emperor,  walked  cautiously  on  to  the  plank,  which 
it  alarmed  him  to  hnd  bending  beneath  his  feet. 
When  he  reached  the  middle,  the  weight  of  his 
body  broke  the  plank,  and  the  minister  of  marine 
fell  into  the  water  between  the  quay  and  the 
boat.  His  Majesty  turned  round  at  the  noise  made 
by  M.  Decres  in  falling,  and  bending  over  the  side 
of  the  boat:  "What!  "said  he,  "is  it  our  minister 
of  marine  who  has  fallen?  How  can  it  possibly 
be  he  ?  "  And  the  Emperor  laughed  heartily  while 
speaking  thus.  Meanwhile,  two  or  three  sailors 
were  employed  in  getting  M.  Decres  out  of  his 
scrape.  He  was  hoisted  into  the  boat  with  a  good 
deal  of  difficulty,  as  may  be  believed,  the  water 
pouring  from  his  nose,  mouth,  and   ears,  and  very 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  237 

much  ashamed  of  his  mishap,  which  the  pleasantries 
of  His  Majesty  made  still  more  afflicting. 

Toward  the  end  of  our  stay,  the  generals  gave  a 
grand  ball  to  the  ladies  of  the  city.  The  ball  was 
magnificent ;  the  Emperor  was  present  at  it.  For 
this  purpose  a  hall  had  been  constructed  in  carpentry 
and  joiner's  work.  It  was  decorated  in  perfectly 
good  taste  with  garlands,  flags,  and  trophies.  Gen- 
eral Bertrand  was  appointed  master  of  ceremonies 
by  his  colleagues,  and  General  Bisson  took  charge 
of  the  buffet.  This  employment  perfectly  suited 
General  Bisson,  the  greatest  gastronomer  in  the 
camp,  whose  enormous  paunch  sometimes  embar- 
rassed him  in  marching.  He  required  no  less  than 
from  six  to  eight  bottles  with  his  dinner,  which 
he  never  took  alone ;  for  it  was  a  torment  to  him 
not  to  chatter  while  eating.  He  usually  invited  his 
aides-de-camp,  whom,  doubtless  through  love  of  mis- 
chief, he  always  selected  from  among  the  thinnest 
and  frailest  officers  in  the  army.  The  buffet  was 
worthy  of  him  who  had  it  in  charge. 

The  orchestra  was  composed  of  the  bands  of 
twenty  regiments,  who  played  by  turns.  Only,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  ball,  they  executed  a 
triumphal  march  all  together,  while  the  aides-de-camp, 
dressed  in  the  most  gallant  manner  in  the  world, 
were  receiving  the  ladies  invited  and  giving  them 
bouquets. 

To  be  admitted  to  this  ball  it  was  necessary 
to    have    at    least    the    rank    of    commandant.     It 


238  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

is  impossible  to  form  an  idea  of  the  beauty  of  the 
sight  presented  by  this  multitude  of  uniforms,  all 
vying  with  each  other  in  brilliancy.  The  fifty  or  sixty 
generals  who  gave  the  ball  had  sent  to  Paris  for 
costumes  embroidered  with  inconceivable  richness. 
The  group  which  formed  around  His  Majesty  when 
he  entered,  glittered  with  gold  and  diamonds.  The 
Emperor  remained  an  hour  at  this  entertainment  and 
danced  the  hoidangere  with  Madame  Bertrand;  he 
wore  the  uniform  of  colonel-general  of  the  mounted 
guard. 

Madame  la  Mardchale  Soult  was  the  queen  of 
the  ball.  She  wore  a  black  velvet  robe,  strewn  with 
those  diamonds  known  as  Rhine  pebbles. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  a  splendid  supper  was 
served,  the  preparations  for  which  had  been  super- 
intended by  General  Bisson.  And  to  say  that  is  to 
imply  that  nothing  was  lacking. 

The  ladies  of  Boulogne,  who  had  never  been  pres- 
ent at  anything  of  the  sort  before,  were  amazed. 
When  supper-time  came,  some  of  them  took  the 
notion  of  filling  their  reticules  with  sweets  and 
dainties  ;  I  think  they  would  like  to  have  carried 
off  the  hall,  the  musicians,  and  the  dancers.  For 
more  than  a  month  the  ball  was  the  only  subject 
of  their  conversations. 

At  this  epoch,  or  very  near  it,  as  His  Majesty  was 
promenading  on  horseback  in  the  environs  of  his 
barrack,  a  pretty  girl  of  fifteen  or  sixteen,  dressed 
in   Avhite,   and   all   in   tears,   threw   herself   on    her 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  239 

knees  in  front  of  him.  The  Emperor  at  once  dis- 
mounted and  ran  to  pick  her  up,  asking  kindly 
what  he  could  do  for  her.  The  poor  child  had 
come  to  ask  mercy  for  her  father,  a  provision  dealer, 
condemned  to  the  galleys  for  serious  frauds.  His 
Majesty  could  not  resist  such  youth  and  charms : 
he  pardoned  him. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Popularity  of  the  Emperor  at  Boulogne  —  His  fatal  obstinacy  — 
Firmness  of  Admiral  Bruix  —  The  Emperor's  whip  and  the 
Admiral's  sword  —  Unjust  exile — Tempest  and  shipwreck — The 
Emperor's  courage  —  The  corpses  and  the  little  hat  —  Infallible 
means  to  stifle  murmurs  —  The  drummer  saved  on  his  drum  — 
Dialogue  between  two  sailors  —  False  embarkation  —  Proclama- 
tion—  Column  of  the  Boulogne  camp  —  Departure  of  the  Em- 
peror—  Accounts  to  settle  —  Difficulties  made  by  the  Emperor 
about  paying  for  his  barrack  —  A  creditor's  flatteries  —  The 
engineer's  bill  paid  in  rix-doUars  and  frederics. 

"TN  Boulogne,  as  in  every  other  place,  the  Emperor 
knew  how  to  endear  himself  to  all  by  his  modera- 
tion, his  justice,  and  the  generous  grace  with  which  he 
recognized  the  slightest  service.  All  the  inhabitants 
of  Boulogne,  all  the  peasants  of  the  neighborhood, 
would  have  let  themselves  be  killed  for  him.  His 
slightest  peculiarities  were  the  subject  of  their  con- 
versation. And  yet  his  conduct  one  day  excited 
complaints ;  he  was  unjust.  He  was  universally 
blamed :  his  injustice  had  caused  so  many  disasters. 
I  am  going  to  give  a  faithful  report  of  this  sad  event 
of  which  I  did  not  witness  any  part. 

One  morning  on  mounting  his  horse,  the  Emperor 
announced  that  he  would  hold  a  review  of  the  naval 
forces,  and  gave  orders  to  have  the  vessels  forming  the 

240 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  241 

line  of  blockade  leave  their  positions,  as  he  intended 
to  review  them  in  open  sea.  He  set  out  with  Roustan 
for  his  usual  ride,  and  expressed  the  desire  that  all 
should  be  ready  on  his  return,  the  hour  of  which  he 
designated.  Everybody  knew  that  the  Emperor's 
desire  was  his  will ;  some  one  went  during  his  absence 
to  transmit  it  to  Admiral  Bruix,  who  responded  with 
imperturbable  coolness  that  he  was  very  sorry,  but 
that  the  review  would  not  take  place  that  day. 
Consequently  not  a  vessel  stirred. 

On  returning  from  his  ride,  the  Emperor  inquired 
if  all  was  ready ;  he  was  told  what  the  Admiral  had 
replied.  He  had  this  reply  twice  repeated  to  him. 
He  was  unaccustomed  to  the  tone  of  it,  and  stamp- 
ing violently,  he  sent  for  the  Admiral,  who  presented 
himself  at  once. 

He  did  not  come  quickly  enough  to  suit  the 
Emperor,  however,  and  he  met  him  half-way  from  his 
barrack.  The  staff  were  following  His  Majesty,  and 
ranged  themselves  silently  around  him.  His  eyes 
shot  lightning. 

"Mr.  Admiral,"  said  the  Emperor  in  an  agitated 
voice,  "  why  have  you  not  executed  my  orders  ?  " 

"Sire,"  replied  Admiral  Bruix  with  respectful 
firmness,  "  there  is  a  horrible  tempest  brewing.  .  .  . 
Your  Majesty  can  see  it  as  well  as  I  can  ;  do  you 
wish  to  expose  the  lives  of  so  many  brave  fellows 
without  necessity  ?  "  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  heavi- 
ness of  the  atmosphere  and  the  dull  rumbling  in  the 
distance  justified  the  fears  of  the  Admu-al  but  too 


242  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

well.  "Sir,"  replied  the  Emperor,  more  and  more 
irritated,  "  I  gave  orders ;  once  more,  why  have  you 
not  executed  them?  The  consequences  concern  me 
alone.  Obey ! " — "Sire,  I  will  not  obey." —  "  Sir,  you 
are  insolent ! "  And  the  Emperor,  who  still  held  his 
whip  in  his  hand,  advanced  toward  the  Admiral  with  a 
threatening  gesture.  Admiral  Bruix  drew  back  a  step, 
and  laid  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword.  "  Sire," 
he  said,  turning  pale,  "  take  care  !  "  The  Emperor, 
motionless  for  a  time,  his  hand  raised,  fixed  his  eyes 
on  the  Admiral,  who,  on  his  side,  maintained  his 
terrible  attitude.  At  last,  the  Emperor  threw  his 
whip  on  the  ground.  M.  Bruix  let  go  of  the  hilt 
of  his  sword,  and  with  uncovered  head  awaited  the 
result  of  this  horrible  scene. 

"Mr.  Rear-admiral  Magon,"  said  the  Emperor, 
"you  will  have  the  movement  I  ordered  executed 
on  the  instant.  As  to  you,  sir,"  continued  he,  bring- 
ing back  his  glance  to  Admiral  Bruix,  "you  will 
leave  Boulogne  within  twent3^-four  hours,  and  retire 
to  Holland.  Go."  His  Majesty  withdrew  at  once. 
Some  officers,  but  not  very  many,  shook  the  hand 
the  Admiral  held  out  to  them  in  parting. 

Meanwhile  Rear-admiral  Magon  caused  the  fleet 
to  perform  the  fatal  manoeuvre  required  by  the 
Emperor.  Hardly  were  the  first  steps  taken  when 
the  sea  became  frightful  to  behold.  The  heavily 
clouded  sky  was  furrowed  with  lightnings,  the 
thunder  roared  every  instant,  and  the  wind  broke 
up  all  the  lines.     At  last  occurred  what  the  Admiral 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  243 

had  foreseen,  and  the  most  fearful  tempest  dispersed 
the  vessels  in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  their  situ- 
ation desperate.  The  Emperor,  with  down-bent  head 
and  crossed  arms,  was  walking  the  beach  when  terri- 
ble cries  were  suddenly  heard.  More  than  twenty 
gunboats  crowded  with  soldiers  and  sailors  had  just 
been  cast  ashore,  and  the  unfortunates  whom  they 
had  carried  were  struggling  against  furious  waves, 
crying  for  aid  that  no  one  dared  to  give  them.  Pro- 
foundly touched  by  this  spectacle,  his  heart  torn  by 
the  lamentations  of  the  immense  crowd  drawn  by  the 
tempest  to  the  cliffs  and  the  shore,  the  Emperor, 
who  saw  his  generals  and  officers  shivering  with 
horror  around  him,  resolved  to  set  the  example  of  de- 
votion, and  in  spite  of  every  effort  made  to  detain 
him,  he  threw  himself  into  a  life-boat,  saying :  "  Let 
me  alone !  let  me  alone !  some  one  must  get  them 
out."  His  boat  filled  with  water  in  an  instant.  The 
waves  passed  and  repassed  above  it,  and  the  Emperor 
was  drenched.  A  billow  still  stronger  than  the 
others  narrowh'  missed  carrying  His  jNIajesty  over- 
board, and  his  hat  was  thrown  into  the  water.  Elec- 
trified by  such  courage,  officers,  soldiers,  sailors,  and 
citizens  flew  to  the  rescue,  some  in  boats  and  some 
by  swimming.  But,  alas  !  but  a  small  number  of  the 
unfortunates  ^^'ho  had  composed  the  crew  of  the 
gunboats  could  be  saved,  and  the  next  day  the  sea 
threw  back  on  the  beach  more  than  two  hundred 
corpses,  along  with  the  hat  of  the  victor  of  Marengo. 
This   sad   morrow   was   a   day   of    desolation  for 


244  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

Boulogne  and  for  the  camp.  There  was  no  one  who 
did  not  hasten  to  the  shore,  searching  anxiously 
among  the  corpses  heaped  up  b}^  the  waves.  The 
Emperor  groaned  over  so  many  disasters  which  in- 
teriorly he  doubtless  could  not  fail  to  attribute  to 
his  own  obstinacy.  Agents  provided  with  gold  went 
by  his  orders  through  the  city  and  the  camp,  to  pre- 
vent the  murmurs  that  were  all  ready  to  break  out. 

That  day,  I  saw  a  drummer  belonging  to  the  crew 
of  the  shipwrecked  shallops  come  back  on  his  drum, 
as  if  it  had  been  a  raft.  The  poor  devil  had  his 
thigh  broken.  He  had  remained  more  than  twelve 
hours  in  this  horrible  situation. 

To  finish  up  with  the  camp  of  Boulogne,  I  will 
relate  here  what  did  not  in  reality  happen  until  the 
month  of  August,  1805,  after  the  return  of  the 
Emperor  from  his  journey  and  his  coronation  in 
Italy. 

Soldiers  and  sailors  were  burning  with  impatience 
to  embark  for  England,  but  the  desired  moment  did 
not  arrive.  Every  evening  they  said  to  each  other : 
To-morrow  there  will  be  a  good  wind,  it  will  be 
foggy,  and  we  shall  start;  and  they  fell  asleep  in 
that  hope.     Day  would  break  with  sun  or  rain. 

One  evening,  however,  when  the  favorable  wind  was 
blowing,  I  heard  two  sailors,  chatting  together  on 
the  wharf,  indulging  in  conjectures  about  the  future: 
"The  Emperor  would  do  well  to  start  to-morrow," 
said  one ;  "  lie  will  never  have  better  weatlier,  there 
will  surely  be  a  fog."     "Bah!"  said  the  other,  "he 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  245 

does  not  even  think  of  it ;  it  is  more  than  a  fortnight 
since  the  lleet  has  budged.  They  don't  want  to  start 
so  soon."  "  And  yet  all  the  munitions  are  on  board ; 
everything  could  be  unmoored  in  a  jiffy."  They 
came  to  place  the  night-sentinels,  and  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  two  old  sea-dogs  stopped  there.  But  I 
soon  had  reason  to  recognize  that  their  experience 
had  not  deceived  them.  In  fact,  toward  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  a  light  fog  overspread  the  sea,  which 
was  a  little  rough ;  the  wind  of  the  previous  day 
sprang  up  again.  At  daybreak,  the  fog  thickened 
so  as  to  hide  the  fleet  from  the  English.  The  most 
profound  silence  reigned  everywhere.  Not  a  single 
unfriendly  sail  had  been  signalled  during  the  night, 
and,  as  the  sailors  had  said,  everything  favored  the 
descent. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  signals  came  from 
the  semaphore.  In  a  twinkling,  all  the  seamen  were 
stirring.  The  harbor  resounded  with  shouts  of  joy  ; 
the  order  to  depart  had  been  received !  While  the 
sails  were  being  hoisted,  the  general  was  beaten  in 
the  four  camps.  The  whole  army  was  called  to  arms 
and  came  down  precipitately  into  the  city,  hardly  be- 
lieving what  they  had  just  heard.  "  We  are  going  to 
start,  then,"  said  all  these  valiant  fellows ;  "  we  are 

going  to  say  two  words  to  those of  English  ! " 

And  the  pleasure  that  moved  them  expressed  itself 
in  acclamations  which  were  silenced  by  a  rolling  of 
the  drums.  The  embarkation  took  place  in  profound 
silence,  and  in  an  orderly  manner  which    I   should 


246  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

vainly  try  to  describe.  In  seven  hours  two  hundred 
thousand  soldiers  were  aboard  the  fleet ;  and,  when  a 
little  after  midday  this  fine  army  was  about  to  start 
out,  amid  the  farewells  and  good  wishes  of  the  entire 
city  assembled  on  the  wharves  and  on  the  cliffs,  at 
the  moment  when  all  the  soldiers,  standing  with  un- 
covered heads,  were  detaching  themselves  from 
French  soil  to  the  cry  of  Lo7ig  live  the  Emperor !  a 
message  arrived  from  the  imperial  barrack  which  dis- 
embarked the  troops  and  sent  them  back  to  camp. 
A  telegraphic  despatch  received  that  very  moment 
by  His  Majesty  obliged  him  to  give  another  direction 
to  his  troops. 

The  soldiers  returned  sadly  to  their  quarters ;  some 
of  them  testified  loudly,  and  in  a  very  energetic 
manner,  the  disappointment  caused  them  by  this 
species  of  mystification.  They  had  always  regarded 
the  success  of  the  enterprise  against  England  as  a 
thing  completely  certain,  and  to  see  themselves 
arrested  at  the  instant  of  departure  was  in  their 
eyes  the  greatest  misfortune  that  could  happen. 

When  all  was  in  order,  the  Emperor  repaired  to 
the  right  camp,  and  there  he  made  a  proclamation  in 
presence  of  the  troops  which  was  carried  to  the 
other  camps,  and  posted  everywhere.  This  was 
about  the  tenor  of  it : 

"  Brave  soldiers  of  the  camp  of  Boulogne ! 

"  You  will  not  go  to  England.  English  gold  has 
seduced  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  who  has  just  de- 
clared war  on  France.     His  army  has  broken  the  line 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  247 

it  was  to  keep ;  Bavaria  is  invaded.  Soldiers  !  new 
laurels  await  you  beyond  the  Rhine ;  let  us  speed  to 
conquer  from  the  enemy  we  have  conquered  already." 

This  proclamation  was  received  with  universal 
transports.  All  frowns  vanished.  It  mattered  little 
to  these  intrepid  men  whether  they  were  led  to 
Austria  or  to  England.  They  were  thirsting  to  fight, 
war  was  proclaimed ;  all  their  desires  were  satisfied. 

Thus  vanished  all  those  grand  schemes  for  a  de- 
scent on  England,  ripened  so  long,  so  wisely  planned. 
It  is  not  doubtful  now  that,  with  time  and  perse- 
verance, the  enterprise  would  have  been  crowned 
with  the  greatest  success.     But  it  was  not  to  be. 

Several  regiments  remained  at  Boulogne ;  and 
while  their  brethren  were  overthrowing  the  Aus- 
trians,  they  erected  a  column  on  the  beach  destined 
long  to  recall  the  souvenir  of  Napoleon  and  his 
immortal  army. 

Directly  after  the  proclamation  of  which  I  have 
just  spoken,  His  Majesty  gave  orders  to  make  all 
ready  for  his  approaching  departure.  The  grand 
marshal  of  the  palace  was  directed  to  examine  and 
pay  all  the  expenses  incurred  by  the  Emperor,  or 
which  he  had  caused  to  be  incurred  during  his  dif- 
ferent sojourns ;  not  without  being  recommended,  as 
usual,  to  take  good  care  not  to  overpa}',  or  pay  too 
dear.  I  think  I  have  said  already  that  His  Majesty 
was  extremely  economical  in  all  that  concerned  him 
personally,  and  that  he  was  afraid  of  spending 
twenty  francs  without  some  verj-  useful  end  in  view. 


248  MEMOIRS   OF  COXSTANT 

Among  many  other  accounts  to  be  regulated,  the 
grand  marshal  of  the  palace  found  that  of  M.  Sordi, 
engineer  of  military  communications,  who  had  been 
directed  by  him  to  undertake  the  interior  and  exte- 
rior decorations  of  His  Majesty's  barrack.  The  bill 
amounted  to  fift}^  thousand  francs.  The  grand 
marshal  uttered  cries  of  horror  at  this  alarming 
total;  he  would  not  settle  M.  Sordi's  bill,  and  dis- 
missed him,  saying  that  he  could  not  authorize  the 
payment  without  first  having  taken  the  Emperor's 
orders. 

The  engineer  withdrew,  after  assuring  the  grand 
marshal  that  he  had  not  overcharged  for  any  article, 
and  that  he  had  followed  his  instructions  literally. 
He  added  that  in  this  state  of  things,  he  could  not 
possibly  make  the  least  reduction.  The  next  day 
M.  Sordi  received  orders  to  present  himself  before 
the  Emperor. 

The  Emperor  was  in  his  barrack,  the  subject  of 
the  discussion.  He  had  under  his  eyes,  not  the 
account  of  the  engineer,  but  a  map  on  which  he  was 
following  the  future  march  of  his  army.  M.  Sordi 
came  and  was  introduced  by  General  Cafarelli.  The 
half-opened  door  permitted  the  General,  and  me  also, 
to  hear  the  conversation  about  to  begin.  "  Sir,"  said 
His  Majesty,  "  you  have  spent  a  great  deal  too  much 
money  in  decorating  this  wretched  barrack :  yes,  cer- 
tainly, a  great  deal  too  much.  .  .  .  Fifty  thousand 
francs !  do  you  think  of  that,  sir  ?  but  that  is  fright- 
ful.    I   will   not   have   you   paid."      The   engineer. 


MEMOinS   OF  CONSTANT  249 

dumfoiinded  by  this  brusque  rush  into  the  subject, 
did  not  at  first  know  what  to  reply.  Happily  the 
Emperor,  by  casting  his  eyes  once  more  at  the 
unrolled  map,  gave  him  time  to  collect  himself.  He 
responded :  "  Sire,  the  gold  clouds  which  formed  the 
ceiling  of  this  room  [all  this  took  place  in  the  council- 
chamber],  and  which  surround  the  guiding  star  of 
Your  Majesty,  did  in  fact  cost  twenty  thousand 
francs.  But  if  I  had  consulted  the  heart  of  your 
subjects,  the  imperial  eagle  which  is  again  about  to 
crush  the  enemies  of  France  and  of  your  throne 
would  have  spread  its  wings  in  the  midst  of  the 
rarest  diamonds."  "That  is  all  very  well,"  replied 
the  Emperor,  laughing ;  "  it  is  very  well,  but  I  will 
not  pay  you  at  present,  and  since  you  tell  me  that 
this  eagle  which  cost  so  dear  ouQ-ht  to  crush  the 
Austrians,  wait  till  it  does  so,  and  I  will  pay  your 
bill  with  the  rix-dollars  of  the  Emperor  of  Germany 
and  the  sfold  frederics  of  the  Kinof  of  Prussia."  And 
His  Majesty,  resuming  his  compass,  began  to  make 
his  army  move  over  the  map. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  engineer's  account  was  not 
settled  until  after  the  battle  of  Austerlitz,  and  then, 
as  the  Emperor  had  said,  in  rix-dollars  and  frederics. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

Journey  in  Belgium  —  Furlough  of  twenty-four  hours — The  inhabi- 
tants of  Alost  —  Their  cordiality  towards  Constant  —  The  valet 
feted  on  the  master's  account  —  Kindness  of  the  Emperor  — 

Journal  of    Madame on  a  journey  to  Aix-la-Chapelle  — 

History  of   this  journal  —  Narration   de   Madame M. 

d' Aubusson,  chamberlain  —  Ceremony  of  the  oath  —  Josephine's 
grace  —  An  old  acquaintance — Josephine's  aversion  to  etiquette 

—  Madame  de  La  Kochefoucauld  —  The  faubourg  Saint-Germain 

—  A  chamberlain's  key  instead  of  a  colonel's  commission  — 
Formation  of  the  imperial  households  —  Members  of  the  old 
court  at  the  new  one  —  The  opposition  party  in  the  noble 
faubourg  —  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  Madame  de  Balby, 
and  Madame  de  Bouilley — Shameful  beggars  —  Distribution  of 
crosses  of  honor  —  Napoleon  complains  of  being  badly  lodged  in 
the  Tuileries  —  Bad  humor  —  The  Museum  seen  by  torchlight 

—  A  perilous  passage  —  Napoleon  before  the  statue  of  Alex- 
ander—  Grandeur  and  littleness  —  A  saying  of  the  Princess 
Dolgorouki  —  The  Emperor  at  Boulogne  and  the  Empress  at 
Aix-la-Chapelle  —  The  Empress  fails  in  etiquette  and  is  rebuked 
by  her  grand  equerry  —  The  malachite  and  the  wife  of  the 
mayor  of  Rheims — Picard's  troupe  and  his  pieces — The  dili- 
gence and  the  rue  Saint-Denis  —  Court  dresses  and  rags  — 
Household  and  circle  of  the  Empress  —  Madame  de  S^monville 

—  Madame  de  Spare  —  Madame  Macdonald  —  Confidence  of  the 
Empress  —  Her  character  that  of  a  child  —  Her  intelligence  — 
Her  education  —  Her  manners —  Her  candor  and  self-distrust  — 
The  Emperor's  reserve  with  the  Empress  —  His  superstition 

—  Prediction  made  to  Josephine  —  M.  de  Talleyrand  —  Motive 
of  his  hatred  for  Josephine  —  The  dinner  at  the  house  of  Barras 

—  M.  de  Talleyrand  urges  a  divorce — Madame  de  Staiil  and  M. 
de  Narbonne  —  Indifference  of  the  Emperor  as  to  whether  he 
were  liked  by  those  who  surrounded  him  —  The  thermometer 
of  court  friendships  —  Profound  reverences  and  profound  iusi- 

250 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  251 

pidity  —  Ceremony  in  the  church  of  Aix  —  Arrival  of  the  Em- 
peror—  Vexations — Espionage  —  The  young  general  and  the 
old  military  man  —  False  reports  —  The  Emperor's  jealousy  — 
Josephine  justified  —  Napoleon  -wholly  occupied  with  etiquette 
—  Grand  reception  of  the  constituted  authorities  —  Pretended 
charlatanism  of  the  Emperor  —  The  Emperor  talking  of  the 
arts  and  of  love  —  "Was  the  Emperor  witty  —  Adulation  of  the 
clergy  —  The  grand  relics  —  M.  de  Pradt  the  Emperor's  first 
chaplain  —  Alexander  and  the  bushel  of  millet —Talma — Did 
M.  de  Pradt  believe  in  God  ?  — The  Emperor's  whist  —  The  Due 
d'Aremberg,  the  blind  player  —  The  author  takes  a  hand  at 
the  Emperor's  table  without  knowing  the  game  —  An  axiom 
of  the  great  Comeille  —  Disgrace  of  M.  de  Semonville  —  M.  de 
Montholon  —  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Montebello  —  Napoleon's 
sally  against  women  —  The  English  muslins  —  The  Emperor's 
first  sweetheart  —  The  Emperor  represented  as  insolent,  disdain- 
ful, and  vulgar  —  Constant's  observation  on  this  criticism  —  The 
manners  of  iMurat  unlike  those  of  the  Emperor  —  The  Emperor 
haughty  and  contemptuous  of  the  human  species. 

n^OWARD  the  end  of  November,  the  Emperor 
set  out  from  Boulogne  to  make  an  excursion 
into  Belgium,  and  to  rejoin  the  Empress,  who  had 
gone  to  Aix-la-Chapelle.  Everywhere  along  his 
route  he  was  received  not  merely  with  the  honors 
reserved  for  crowned  heads,  but  in  addition  with 
acclamations  intended  for  his  person  rather  than 
his  power.  I  slmll  say  nothing  of  the  numerous 
fetes  given  him  during  his  journey,  nor  of  the  note- 
worthy things  that  occurred.  These  details  can  be 
found  everywhere,  and  I  wish  to  speak  only  of 
what  is  personal  to  me,  or  at  lenst  of  what  is 
not  known  to  each  and  all.  Let  it  su£(ice  me  then 
to  say  that  we  passed  through  Arras,  Valenciennes, 
Mons,  Bruxelles,  etc.,  in  triumph  as  it  were.     At  the 


252  3IEM0IRS   OF  CONSTANT 

gate  of  each  city,  the  municipal  council  presented 
the  Emperor  with  the  wine  of  honor  and  the  keys  of 
the  place.  We  remained  several  days  at  Lacken, 
and  being  only  five  leagues  from  Alost,  a  little  town 
where  I  had  relatives,  I  asked  His  Majesty's  per- 
mission to  leave  him  for  twenty-four  hours ;  which 
he  granted,  but  with  difficulty.  Alost,  like  the  rest 
of  Belgium  at  this  period,  professed  the  greatest 
attachment  for  the  Emperor.  I  scarcely  had  a 
mordent  to  mj-self.     I  was  staying  at  the  house   of 

one  of  my  friends,  M.  D ,  whose  family  had  long 

been  in  one  of  the  chief  employments  of  the  Belgian 
government.  I  think  the  whole  town  came  there  to 
visit  me;  but  I  was  not  vain  enough  to  attribute  to 
myself  all  the  honor  of  this  cordiality.  They  wanted 
to  know  even  the  least  details  that  related  to  the 
great  man  near  whom  I  was  placed.  I  was  extraor- 
dinarily feted  on  this  account,  and  my  twenty-four 
hours  passed  too  quickly.  On  my  return.  His 
Majesty  deigned  to  put  a  thousand  questions  about 
the  town  of  Alost  and  its  inhabitants,  what  they 
thought  of  his  government  and  his  person.  I  could 
answer  him  without  flattery  that  he  was  adored.  He 
seemed  pleased,  and  talked  kindly  to  me  about  ni}'- 
family  and  my  petty  interests.  We  left  Lacken  the 
next  day  and  passed  through  Alost.  If  I  could  have 
foreseen  that  the  day  before,  I  might  have  stayed 
there  several  hours  longer.  However,  the  Emperor 
had  made  so  much  difficulty  about  granting  a  single 
day,  that  I  should  probably  not  have  dared  venture 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  253 

on  more,  even  if  I  had  known  that  the  household  was 
to  pass  through  the  town. 

The  Emperor  liked  Lacken  ;  he  had  considerable 
repairs  and  embellishments  made  there,  and  through 
his  efforts  this  palace  became  a  charming  place  of 
abode. 

This  journey  of  Their  Majesties  lasted  nearly 
three  months.  We  did  not  return  to  Paris,  or 
rather  to  Saint-Cloud,  until  some  time  in  October. 
At  Cologne  and  Coblentz  the  Emperor  had  received 
the  visit  of  several  German  princes  and  princesses ; 
but,  as  I  could  only  know  by  hearsay  what  passed 
in  these  interviews,  I  had  determined  not  to  speak 
of  them,  Avhen  there  fell  into  my  hands  a  manuscript 
in  which  the  author  enters  into  all  the  details  of 
which  I  could  have  no  cognizance.  This  is  how  I 
found  myself  possessor  of  this  curious  journal. 

It  seems  that  one  of  the  ladies  of  Her  Majesty  the 
Empress  Josephine  noted  down  daily  everything 
interesting  that  happened  in  the  interior  of  the 
palace  and  the  imperial  family.  These  souvenirs, 
among  which  occur  many  unflattering  portraits,  were 
brought  to  the  Emperor's  notice  probably,  as  it  was 
supposed  at  the  time,  by  the  indiscretion  and  unfaith- 
fulness of  a  chambermaid. 

Their  Majesties  were  very  severely,  and  to  my  mind 
very  unjustly  treated   in   the   Memoirs  of   ^Madame 

.     Hence  the  Emperor  flew  into  a  violent  rage, 

and  Madame received  her  dismissal.     The  day 

when  His  Majesty  read  these  manuscripts  in  his  bed- 


254  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

room  at  Saint-Cloud,  his  secretary,  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  carry  all  papers  into  His  Majesty's  cabinet, 
doubtless  forgot  a  rather  small  paper  book,  which  I 
found  on  the  floor,  near  the  Emperor's  bath-tub. 
This  paper  book  was  nothing  less  than  the  Account 
of  the  Journey/  of  the  JEmpress  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  a 
relation  which  apparently  formed  part  of  the  Memoirs 

of  Madame .     As  we  were  just  starting  for  Paris, 

and  moreover  as  papers  negligently  forgotten  and 
not  missed  did  not  seem  to  be  of  great  importance, 
I  threw  them  into  the  upper  part  of  an  armoire  of 
a  cabinet  which  was  seldom  opened,  and  concerned 
myself  no  further  about  them.  It  seems  that  no- 
body thought  more  of  them  than  I  did ;  for  it  was 
not  until  two  years  afterward  that,  in  searching  every 
corner  of  the  bedchamber  in  search  of  some  mislaid 
object,  my  eyes  fell  upon  the  dusty   manuscript  of 

Madame  .     The  Emperor's  thoughts  Avere  very 

remote  at  that  time  from  the  petty  vexations  of  1805, 
and  I  did  not  feel  myself  guilty  of  a  great  indiscre- 
tion in  taking  the  manuscript  home  with  me,  and  I 
hope  nobody  will  be  displeased  at  finding  it  annexed 
to  my  Memoirs.  At  the  same  time  I  protest  here,  in 
advance,  against  any  interpretation  which  would  tend 
to  make  me  jointly  responsible  for  the  opinions    of 

Madame .     She  belonged  to  the  number  of  those 

persons  who,  belonging  to  the  old  regime,  either  indi- 
vidually or  through  their  family  ties,  had  thought  they 
could  accept  or  even  solicit  appointments  in  the  Em- 
peror's household,  without   renouncing   their   preju- 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  255 

dices  or  their  hatred  for  him.  This  hatred  has  led  the 
author  of  the  Journey  into  more  than  one  unjust  exag- 
geration concerning  whatever  relates  to  Their  Majes- 
ties, and  I  have  replied  in  several  notes  to  things  that 
to  me  seem  inexact  in  her  criticisms.  In  what  refers 
to  the  German  princes  and  some  other  personages, 
Madame  impresses  me  as  having  been  ingen- 
iously truthful,  although  a  little  too  jeering. 

DIARY  OF  THE  JOURNEY  TO  MAYENCE 

Paris,  July  1,  1804.  —  I  took  my  oatli  to-day  at 
Saint-Cloud,  as  lady  of  the  Empress's  palace,  at  the 
same  time  when  M.  d'Aubusson  took  his  as  chamber- 
lain. Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld  was  the  only 
person  who  witnessed  this  ceremony,  which  took 
place  in  the  blue  salon  in  a  rather  gay  manner. 
Josephine  was  very  gracious  about  it ;  she  had  for- 
merly met  M.  d'Aubusson  in  society,  and  she  seemed 
to  find  it  very  pleasant  to  renew  acquaintance  with 
him  by  receiving  his  oath  as  Empress.  She  speaks 
of  her  elevation  very  frankly,  very  becomingly.  She 
said  to  us  with  delightful  artlessness  that  it  was  very 
unpleasant  to  her  to  remain  seated  when  women  who 
were  formally  her  equals,  or  even  her  superiors, 
entered  her  apartments;  that  she  was  required  to 
conform  to  this  etiquette,  but  that  she  found  it  quite 
impossible.  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  who 
had  to  be  entreated  for  a  long  time  before  she  would 
accept  the  place  of  lady  of  honor,  and  who  }ielded 


256  3IEM0mS  OF  cq-nstant 

only  through  affection  for  Josephine,  has  given  herself 
infinite  pains  to  bring  the  whole  faubourg  Saint-Ger- 
main to  this  court.  It  was  she  who  persuaded  M. 
d'Aubusson.  He  had  wished  to  enter  the  service  as  a 
colonel ;  he  was  rather  surprised  to  receive  an  ap- 
pointment as  chamberlain  instead  of  a  regiment.  All 
Paris  occupies  itself  with  the  formation  of  the  house- 
holds of  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress ;  every  day 
one  hears  of  some  family  of  the  old  court  which  is 
going  to  form  part  of  this  one.  The  embarrassment 
with  which  people  accost  persons  of  their  acquaint- 
ance is  curious  enough:  uncertain  whether  they  have 
received  appointments,  one  does  not  like  to  boast  of 
his  own ;  but  on  learning  theirs,  one  is  enchanted ; 
it  is  one  weapon  more  for  the  sheaf  they  would  like 
to  form  in  opposition  to  the  malicious  pleasantries  of 
the  faubourg  Saint-Germain. 

July  8,  1804. — Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld 
related  a  rather  amusing  adventure  this  morning. 
She  had  just  made  a  call  on  Madame  de  Balby.  The 
latter,  enchanted  to  find  a  chance  to  throw  a  stone 
into  her  garden,  said  to  her :  "  Madame  de  Bouilley 
has  just  gone  away  ;  I  told  her  that  people  in  society 
were  mentioning  her  as  a  lady  of  the  palace ;  but  she 
denied  it  in  a  way  that  proved  to  me  that  they  were 
in  the  wrong."  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld  had 
with  her  at  that  very  moment  the  letter  in  which 
Madame  de  Bouilley  asks  for  this  place;  she  replied: 
"  I  do  not  know  why  Madame  de  Bouilley  denies  it, 
for  here  is  her  application  and  her  appointment." 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  261 

July  14,  1804.  —  What  a  fatiguing  day !  "VVe  were 
assembled  at  the  chateau  at  eleven  o'clock,  to  accom- 
pany the  Empress  to  the  church  of  the  Invalides,  to 
witness  a  distribution  of  the  decorations  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor. 

Seated  in  a  tribune  opposite  the  Emperor's  throne, 
we  saw  him  receive  nineteen  hundred  chevaliers. 
This  ceremony  was  interrupted  for  an  instant  by  the 
arrival  of  a  man  of  the  people,  wearing  a  simple 
jacket,  who  presented  himself  on  the  steps  of  the 
throne.  Napoleon  paused  in  surprise :  some  one 
questioned  the  man,  who  showed  his  brevet,  and 
he  received  the  accolade  and  his  decoration.  The 
cortege  followed  the  same  road  on  returning,  passing 
through  the  grand  alley  of  the  Tuileries.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  Bonaparte  has  entered  the  garden 
in  a  carriage.  On  re-entering  the  apartments  of  the 
Empress,  he  approached  the  window ;  some  children 
who  were  on  the  terrace,  seeing  him,  shouted :  Long 
live  the  Emperor !  He  drew  back  with  very  per- 
ceptible ill-humor,  saying :  "  I  am  the  worst-lodged 
sovereign  in  Europe ;  no  one  has  ever  thought  of 
allowing  the  public  to  come  so  near  his  palace."  I 
must  confess  that  if  I  had  arrived  at  the  Tuileries 
in  the  way  that  Napoleon  has,  I  should  have  thought 
it  more  suitable  not  to  seem  to  find  myself  ill-lodged. 

I  do  not  know  whether  it  was  because  this  little 
spurt  of  ill-humor  lasted  ;  but,  on  entering  the  circle 
which  we  formed,  he  ajjproached  Madame  de  La  Val- 
lette,  and  kicking  the  bottom  of  her  dress,  he  said : 


258  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

"  Fie  !  Madame,  what  a  dress  !  what  trimming !  It  is 
in  the  very  worst  taste  !  "  Madame  de  La  Vallette 
seemed  a  little  disconcerted. 

In  the  evening  we  went  up  to  the  balcony  of  the 
middle  pavilion  to  hear  the  concert  that  was  given 
in  the  garden.  After  some  moments,  the  Emperor 
took  a  whim  to  see  the  statues  of  the  Louvre  by 
torchlight.  M.  Denon,  who  was  there,  received  his 
orders ;  the  footmen  carried  torches ;  we  crossed  the 
grand  gallery,  and  went  down  into  the  halls  of  the 
antiques.  In  passing  through  them,  Napoleon  paused 
a  long  time  before  a  bust  of  Alexander ;  there  was 
a  sort  of  affectation  in  his  calling  our  attention  to 
the  fact  that  necessarily  this  head  was  bad,  that  it 
was  too  large,  Alexander  being  much  smaller  than 
himself.  He  dwelt  greatly  on  those  words :  much 
smaller.  I  was  at  a  little  distance,  but  I  had  heard 
him ;  having  come  nearer,  he  absolutely  repeated 
the  phrase  ;  he  seemed  charmed  to  inform  us  that 
he  was  larger  than  Alexander.  Ah !  liow  small  he 
seemed  to  me  at  that  moment ! 

July  15,  1804.  —  This  evening  I  was  at  a  house 
where  the  Princess  Dolgorouki  came  on  leaving  the 
drawing-room  at  the  Tuileries.  Some  one  asked  her 
what  she  thought  about  it.  "  It  is  certainly  a  great 
power,"  she  responded,  "  but  it  is  not  a  court." 

Paris,  July  — ,  1804.  —  The  Emperor  starts  to- 
morrow to  go  and  see  the  flat-boats  at  Boulogne, 
and  the  Empress  for  Aix-la-Chapelle,  where  she  will 
take  the  waters.     I  must  accompany  her. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  259 

Rheims,  July  — ,  1804.  —  This  morning,  before 
leaving  Saint-Cloiul,  the  Empress  crossed  two  halls 
to  give  an  order  to  a  person  occupying  a  rather  sub- 
altern position  in  her  household.  M.  d'llarville, 
her  grand  equerry,  came  up  in  a  fright  to  represent 
to  her  that  Her  Majesty  would  totally  compromise 
the  dignity  of  the  throne,  and  that  she  ought  to  give 
her  orders  through  his  lips.  "  Eh !  sir,"  said  Jose- 
phine, gayly,  "  this  etiquette  is  perfect  for  princesses 
born  on  the  throne  and  accustomed  to  the  restraint 
which  it  imposes;  but  I,  who  have  had  the  good 
luck  to  live  so  many  years  as  a  private  person,  think 
it  well  to  give  my  orders  sometimes  without  an 
interpreter."  The  grand  equerry  bowed,  and  we  set 
out. 

Sedan,  July  30,  1804. — This  morning  I  found 
Josephine  very  busily  reading  a  large  sheet  of  manu- 
script, and  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  that 
she  was  learning  her  lesson.  Whenever  she  travels, 
everything  is  fixed,  foreseen  in  advance.  It  is 
known  in  what  place  she  must  be  harangued  by  such 
or  such  an  authority ;  here  she  must  respond  in  such 
a  manner ;  there  in  such  another.  All  is  regulated, 
even  to  the  presents  she  must  make.  But  it  some- 
times happens  that  her  memory  fails  her ;  and  then, 
if  her  response  is  not  as  suitable  as  that  which  had 
been  prepared,  it  is  at  least  always  made  with  such 
courtesy  and  kindness  that  people  are  always  sat- 
isfied. 

Liege,  August  1,  1804.  —  I  feared  that  we  should 


260  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

never  get  here.  The  Emperor,  without  mforming 
himself  as  to  whether  a  projected  road  through  the 
forest  of  Ardennes  had  been  completed,  had  traced 
ours  on  the  map ;  the  relays  were  arranged  accord- 
ing to  his  orders,  and  we  were  twenty  times  in 
danger  of  having  our  carriages  smashed.  In  several 
places  they  were  kept  up  with  rojies.  No  one  ever 
imagined  making  women  travel  like  dragoon  officers. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  7,  1804. — The  Empress 
has  established  herself  here  in  the  house  of  one  M. 
de  Jacob}^  lately  purchased  by  the  Emperor.  It  had 
been  spoken  of  as  a  very  agreeable  habitation,  and 
we  were  surprised  on  finding  a  wretched  little  house. 
The  prefect  wished  to  have  Josephine  come  at  once 
and  install  herself  at  the  prefecture ;  but  such  is  her 
perfect  submission  to  Bonaparte's  wishes  that  she 
would  not  do  so  without  his  orders.  He  is  bent  on 
favorizing  the  inhabitants  of  the  reunited  depart- 
ments, desiring  to  attach  them  to  France.  It  was 
this  motive  that  induced  him  to  buy  M.  de  Jacoby's 
house  and  pay  four  times  its  value  for  it. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  — ,  1804,  — This  morning, 
on  reading  the  Publicist  newspaper,  Josephine  was 
rather  disagreeably  surprised  at  seeing,  in  the  account 
of  her  journe}^  that  some  one  had  reported  and 
printed  her  adieux  to  the  wife  of  the  mayor  of 
Rheims,  with  whom  she  had  lodged  while  in  that 
city.  It  often  happens  that  one  carelessly  says  some- 
thing which  lacks  common  sense,  without  noticing  it ; 
but,  if  one  encounters  the  same  phrase  in  print,  then 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  2G1 

reflection  makes  one  appreciate  just  what  it  amounts 
to.  I  own  that  there  is  no  need  of  it  to  judge  of  this 
one.  On  leaving  Rheims,  the  Empress  gave  the 
mayor's  wife  a  medallion  of  malachite,  and  said  as 
she  embraced  her :  "  ^Tis  the  color  of  7«oj;e."  The  fact 
is  that  hope  had  not  the  least  thing  to  do  in  this 
case;  it  was  a  mere  piece  of  stupidity.  I  was  there  ; 
I  heard  and  I  remarked  it ;  but  I  took  good  care  not 
to  remember  it  this  morning.  Josephine  was  in  de- 
spair; she  was  certain,  and  that  in  perfectly  good 
faith,  that  she  had  not  said  such  a  thing :  it  would 
have  been  cruel  to  contradict  her.  The  private  sec- 
retary proposed  that  she  should  deny  using  it  in  the 
journal ;  she  thought  of  it  for  a  moment ;  but  whether 
she  suddenly  remembered  it,  or  was  afraid  of  doing 
something  which  Bonaparte  might  disapprove,  she 
contented  herself  with  writing  to  him  that  she  had 
not  uttered  this  stupidity  ;  that  her  first  impulse  had 
been  to  contradict  it,  but  she  had  been  unwilling  to 
do  anything  without  his  orders.  A  courier  was  de- 
spatched to  Boulogne.^ 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  11, 1804.  —  Our  life  here  is 
tiresome  and  monotonous.  With  the  exception  of  a 
daily  ride,  which  we  take  in  an  open  carriage  through 
the  environs  of  the  city,  the  remainder  of  the  day  is 
precisely  like  yesterday.     Picard's  troupe  has  come 

^  The  Emperor's  decision  was  that  the  journalist  must  be  repri- 
manded ;  and  from  tliat  time  they  were  forbidden  ever  to  publish 
any  response  of  either  the  Emperor  or  the  Empress  without  having 
first  seen  it  in  the  Monitexir.  — Editor''s  note. 


262  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

here  and  will  remain  as  long  as  the  Empress  does. 
Every  evening  we  go  and  j^awn  at  the  theatre; 
Picard's  repertory  is  unimaginably  fatiguing  in  the 
long  run.  To  be  sure  it  is  clever,  and  has  some  very 
good  comic  scenes ;  but  the  subjects  are  always 
selected  from  the  lowest  ranks  of  life,  one  never 
emerges  from  the  stage-coach  or  the  rue  Saint-Denis. 
For  a  day  it  is  possible  to  be  amused  with  the  novelty 
of  this  tone  ;  but  one  is  presently  fatigued  at  finding 
one's  self  so  far  from  home. 

August  11,  1804.  —  Not  having  gone  to  the  theatre 
this  evening,  and  some  one  having  spoken  of  a  plan 
of  Paris  in  relief,  the  Empress  wished  to  see  it.  The 
evening  being  very  fine,  why,  she  asked,  should  we 
not  walk  there?  This  was  a  novelty,  and  every  one 
was  in  haste  to  start.  M.  d'Harville,  who  is  always 
the  chevalier  of  etiquette,  was  in  despair.  He  in- 
tended to  hazard  his  opinion,  but  we  were  already 
too  far  away.  The  fact  is  that  he  was  quite  right,  as 
the  sequel  of  this  frolic  has  proved.  The  streets 
being  almost  empty  in  the  evenings,  we  met  hardly 
anybody  in  going ;  but  while  we  were  examining  this 
plan,  the  rumor  of  our  excursion  got  around ;  and 
when  we  came  out,  there  were  candles  in  all  the 
windows,  and  the  whole  populace  on  our  route.  We 
must  have  formed  a  sufficiently  amusing  cortege ; 
those  gentlemen,  with  their  liats  under  their  arms 
and  swords  at  their  sides,  who  gave  us  their  hands 
and  aided  us  to  pass  through  the  crowd  which 
pressed   around   us,  and  whose   tatters   presented  a 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  263 

rather  startling  contrast  with  our  feathers,  our  dia- 
monds, and  our  long  dresses.  At  last  we  reached 
the  hotel  of  the  prefecture ;  the  Empress  felt  then 
that  she  had  acted  thoughtlessly,  and  she  frankly- 
acknowledged  it. 

August  13,  1804.  —  It  was  said  this  evening  that 
the  Emperor  would  soon  arrive  here :  that  will  im- 
part a  little  movement  and  variety  to  our  habitual 
circle,  which  is  perfectly  monotonous.  It  is  com- 
posed of  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  a  woman  of 
very  amiable  disposition ;  four  ladies  of  the  palace, 
the  grand  equerry,  two  chamberlains,  the  chief 
equerry;  M.  Deschamps,  the  private  secretary; 
the  prefect  and  his  family ;  two  or  three  gen- 
erals who  have  married  German  women,  real 
caricatures.  I  must  add  one  very  amiable  woman, 
Madame  de  Sdmonville,  wife  of  the  French  ambassa- 
dor to  Holland ;  by  her  first  marriage  she  was 
Madame  de  Montholon.  She  has  had  two  sons  and 
two  daughters :  one  is  Madame  de  Spare ;  the  other, 
who  married  General  Joubert,  became  the  wife  of 
General  Macdonald  by  a  second  marriage.  This 
young  and  lovely  woman  is  dying ;  she  came  here  to 
take  the  waters  ;  her  mother,  Madame  de  Sdmonville, 
accompanied  and  takes  care  of  her.  I  fear  that  it 
will  be  in  vain.  Hence  we  enjoy  very  little  of 
Madame  de  S^monville's  society;  she  seldom  leaves 
her  daughter. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  14,  1804.  —  I  remained 
alone  quite  a  long  time  with  Josephine  this  morning ; 


264  MEMOIRS   OF  CO^'^STANT 

she  talked  to  me  witli  a  confidence  Avliicli  would  have 
flattered  me  very  much,  if  I  had  not  seen  daily  that 
this  abandon  is  natural  and  necessary  to  her.  The 
estimate  I  have  formed  of  her  character  is  perhaps 
premature,  since  I  have  known  her  so  short  a  time ; 
however,  I  do  not  believe  I  am  mistaken.  She  is 
exactly  like  a  ten-year-old  child.  She  has  the  good 
nature  and  the  levity  of  one  ;  she  is  quickly  moved  ; 
weeps  and  then  is  consoled  in  a  moment.  One  might 
say  of  her  intelligence  what  Moliere  said  of  a  man's 
probity,  "that  he  had  just  enough  to  prevent  his 
being  hanged."  She  has  precisely  what  is  needed 
to  keep  one  from  being  a  simpleton.  Ignorant,  like 
the  generality  of  Creoles,  she  has  learned  nothing 
or  almost  nothing  except  through  conversation ;  but 
having  passed  her  life  in  good  society,  she  has 
acquired  very  good  manners,  grace,  and  that  jargon 
which  in  society  sometimes  takes  the  place  of  wit. 
Social  events  are  a  canvas  which  she  embroiders  and 
arranges,  and  which  supplies  materials  for  her  conver- 
sation. She  has  at  least  quarter  of  an  hour  of  wit  a 
day.  What  I  find  charming  in  her  is  that  diffidence 
which,  in  her  position,  is  a  great  merit.  If  she  finds 
intelligence  and  judgment  in  any  of  the  persons  who 
surround  her,  she  consults  them  with  a  candor  and 
artlessness  which  are  wholly  delightful.  Her  temper 
is  perfectly  even  and  sweet ;  it  is  impossible  not  to 
love  her.  I  fear  that  this  need  of  opening  her  heart, 
of  communicating  all  her  ideas,  all  that  passes 
between  her  and  the  Emperor,  must  deprive  her  of 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTxLNT  265 

much  of  his  confidence.  She  complains  of  not  pos- 
sessing it;  she  told  me  this  morning  that  never 
in  all  the  years  she  has  spent  with  him,  has  she 
seen  in  him  a  single  moment  of  unreserve ;  that 
if,  at  some  moments,  he  shows  a  little  confidence, 
it  is  only  to  excite  that  of  the  person  to  whom 
he  is  talking ;  but  that  he  never  reveals  his  en- 
tire thought.  She  says  that  he  is  very  supersti- 
tious ;  that  one  day  being  with  the  army  in  Italy, 
he  broke  in  his  pocket  the  glass  which  covered  her 
portrait  and  that  he  was  in  despair,  convinced  that 
it  was  a  warning  of  her  death  ;  he  had  no  repose  until 
after  the  return  of  the  courier  whom  he  sent  to  reas- 
sure himself.^ 

This  conversation  led  Josephine  to  speak  to  me 
about  the  singular  prediction  which  was  made  to  her 
just  as  she  was  leaving  Martinique.  A  sort  of  gypsy 
said  to  her :  "  You  are  Sfoing^  to  France  to  be  married ; 
your  marriage  will  not  be  happy ;  your  husband  will 
die  in  a  tragic  manner ;  you  will  incur  great  dangers 
yourself  at  that  period ;  but  you  will  come  out 
triumphantly  from  them ;  you  are  destined  to  the 
most  glorious  condition,  and  without  being  a  queen, 
you  will  be  more  than  a  queen."  She  added  that 
being  very  young  then,  she  paid  very  little  attention 
to  this  prediction ;  that  she  only  remembered  it  at 
the  time  when  M.  de  Beauharnais  was  guillotined ; 


1  At  this  epoch  the  Emperor  was  still  in  love  with  Josephine. 
Note  of  Madame . 


266  ME^fOIES  OF  constant 

that  she  spoke  of  it  then  to  several  ladies  who  like 
herself  were  imprisoned  in  the  days  of  the  Terror ; 
but  that  at  present  she  saw  it  accomplished  in  every 
point.  It  is  a  very  singular  chance  which  has  brought 
about  the  coincidence  between  this  prediction  and 
lier  destiny. 

August  15.  —  This  morning,  while  driving,  Jose- 
phine continued  the  conversation  begun  yesterday. 
I  was  alone  with  her  in  the  carriage ;  she  talked 
to  me  about  M.  de  Talleyrand  ;  she  claims  that  he 
hates  her,  and  without  any  motive  but  the  injuries 
he  has  done  her.  Alas  !  it  is  too  true  that  he  who 
has  offended  never  pardons.  These  words  are  writ- 
ten large  in  the  history  of  the  human  heart.  The 
offended  person  may  forget  it,  but  conscience  never 
fails  to  remember.  During  Bonaparte's  sojourn  in 
Egypt,  at  a  time  when  eyery  one  regarded  him  as 
ruined,  ]\I.  de  Talleyrand,  who  was  always  at  the  feet 
of  power,  had  been  in  various  circumstances  very  im- 
polite to  Madame  Bonaparte.  One  da}^,  especially, 
he  was  dining  with  her  at  the  house  of  B arras ; 
Madame  Tallien  was  present ;  it  is  claimed  that  this 
woman,  who  was  celebrated  for  her  beauty,  exercised 
at  this  time  a  great  empire  over  Barras.  M.  de 
Talleyrand,  placed  near  her  and  Madame  Bonaparte, 
showed  so  much  grace  in  the  attentions  with  which 
he  surrounded  INIadame  Tallien,  and  so  little  polite- 
ness toward  Madame  Bonaparte,  that  the  latter,  who 
knew  him  to  be  the  perfection  of  courtiers,  concluded 
that  General  Bonaparte  must  be  known  to  be  dead 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  267 

for  him  to  treat  her  so  badly;  because  if  he  had 
thought  he  could  ever  return  to  France,  he  would 
have  been  afraid  he  might  avenge  the  slights  put 
upon  liis  wife  in  liis  absence.  This  idea,  uniting  with 
wounded  self-love,  made  her  leave  the  table  in  tears. 
M.  de  Talleyrand,  who  has  not  forgotten  this  circum- 
stance, and  who  fears  lest  Josephine  may  one  day 
have  the  power  and  the  wish  to  revenge  herself  for  it, 
did  all  that  lay  in  liis  power  during  the  last  three 
months  that  elapsed  before  the  creation  of  the 
Empire,  to  induce  Napoleon  to  divorce  her,  in  order 
that  he  might  marry  the  Princess  Wilhelmine  of 
Baden ;  he  urged,  with  all  possible  skill,  the  support 
he  would  gain  in  the  courts  of  Russia  and  Bavaria, 
with  whom  he  would  become  allied  by  this  marriage ; 
and  the  need  of  consolidating  his  Empire  by  the  hope 
of  having  children.  The  Emperor  wavered  a  little ; 
but  he  finally  resisted,  and  Josephine  has  no  more 
anxiety  on  that  account.^ 

Although  she  has  not  much  intelligence,  she  is  not 
lacking  in  a  certain  sort  of  cleverness;  she  has 
known  how  to  profit  by  the  superstitious  weakness 
of  the  Emperor,  and  slie  sometimes  says  to  him : 
"  Thei/  talk  of  thy  star,  but  it  is  mine  that  influences 
thine;  it  was  to  me  that  a  lofty  destiny  teas  pre- 
dicted." This  idea  has  probably  contributed  more 
than  people  think  to  the  overthrow  of  INI.  de  Talley- 


1  The    sequel    proved    that   she    deceived    herself.  —  Note   of 
Madame . 


268  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

rand's  schemes,  and  to  tighten  the  bonds  he  wished 
to  break.i 

Josephine  has  just  told  me  a  rather  piquant  anec- 
dote. Madame  de  Stael  wrote  to  Count  Louis  de 
Narbonne  not  long  since.  As  she  was  sending 
her  letter  by  a  man  whom  she  believed  trusty,  she 
expressed  her  whole  mind;  she  was  particularly 
sprightly  concerning  persons  who  have  accepted 
places  at  court  since  the  creation  of  the  Empire. 
She  added  that  she  hoped  that  she  would  never 
be  chagrined,  in  reading  the  journal,  by  seeing  his 
name  beside  theirs.  The  man  entrusted  with  this 
letter  carried  it  to  Fouch^.  The  latter  (after  paying 
for  this  rascally  transaction)  read  it,  copied  it,  and 
having  closed  it  up  again  with  care,  said  to  the  man  : 
"Fulfil  your  commission;  get  M.  de  Narbonne's 
aoiswer,  and  bring  it  to  me ;  "  which  he  did  not  fail 
to  do.  The  Count  replied  in  the  same  tone.  They 
say  that  we  were  not  spared  in  this  response.  I 
forgive  him  with  all  my  heart ;  I  am  tempted  to  laugh 
myself  at  the  bizarre  ensemble  that  we  present.  This 
court  is  a  veritable  harlequin's  dress ;  but  if  the  cos- 
tume has  all  the  requisite  motleys,  harlequin  has  not 
all  the  graces  of  his  state ;  ^   his  awkwardness  is  in 

1  If  Napoleon  searches  into  the  past  for  the  causes  of  his  down- 
fall, it  will  be  difficult,  if  he  retains  this  superstitiovis  weakness, 
for  him  not  to  remark  that,  since  his  divorce,  events,  which  he 
had  governed  so  long,  have  all  turned  against  him.  —  Note  of 
Madame . 

2  It  is  a  crime  of  a  new  species  not  to  have  all  the  graces  of  the 
state  of  a  harlequin.     The  manners  of  the  Emperor  were  simple 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  269 

singular  contrast  with  the  great  nobles  by  whom  he  is 
surrounded.  I  am  sorry  that  one  can  set  over  against 
the  Count's  pleasantries  his  assiduity  in  the  circles 
of  Cambacdres  and  of  all  the  ministers.  Josephine 
claims  that  this  letter,  of  which  Napoleon  is  reminded 
by  each  obeisance  of  M.  de  Narbonne  (and  he  makes 
a  good  many  of  them),  deprives  them  of  all  their 
grace,  and  that  he  will  never  obtain  anything.^ 

August  16.  —  I  perceive,  by  the  redoublement  of 
politeness  in  the  persons  who  surround  the  Empress, 
how  much  I  am  daily  losing  in  their  esteem.  At 
court,  it  is  in  this  way  that  one  must  measure  the 
degree  of  attachment  one  inspires.  For  some  days 
I  had  been  astonished  to  find  that  I  had  become  the 
object  of  general  attention ;  to  tell  the  truth  I  did 
not  know  to  what  to  attribute  it,  and  in  my  inno- 
cence I  might  perhaps  have  laid  it  to  my  own  merits. 
Who  knows  just  how  far  self-love  might  have  misled 

me  ?     M.  de ,  the  most  affected,  the  most  insipid 

of  all  courtiers,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  under- 

and  natui-al,  but  without  awkwardness.  Doubtless  they  did  con- 
trast with  the  obsequious  and  courtier-like  forms  of  the  great 
nobles  who  surrounded  him  ;  for  he  was  the  only  one  who  lield 
himself  straight  and  erect,  while  these  gentlemen  bowed  to  tlio 
ground.  — Note  by  the  editor. 

1  Some  time  after  this  epoch,  Count  do  Narbonne  was  appointed 
to  the  embassy  of  Vienna  and  became  one  of  those  who  were  best 
treated  by  Bonaparte.  What  did  he  care  about  the  attachment, 
the  devotion  of  those  whom  he  employed  ?  He  knew  that  he 
would  never  obtain  them ;  but  he  liked  the  flattery  of  the  old 
courtiers,  because  it  was  more  adroit  than  that  of  the  new  ones. 
—  Note  by  Madame . 


270  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

took  to  enlighten  my  inexperience ;  he  called  on 
me  this  morning,  ten  times  more  reverentially  than 
usual.  He  said  to  me  that  everybody  had  remarked 
Josephine's  kindness  toward  me,  our  long  conversa- 
tions together,  the  attention  with  which  she  offered 
me  every  day  at  breakfast  the  dishes  she  found  in 
front  of  her;  that,  for  his  part,  he  had  been  par- 
ticularly pleased  on  remarking  these  distinctions; 
but  that  they  had  become  a  subject  of  jealousy  to 
many  persons.  I  laughed  at  the  importance  which 
he  attached  to  all  that,  and  I  privately  promised 
myself  no  longer  to  put  to  my  own  credit  atten- 
tions which  I  owe  only  to  the  whim  of  the  sover- 
eign. 

August  16.  —  To-day  we  have  had  a  grand  cere- 
mony in  the  church,  for  the  distribution  of  several 
decorations  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  They  had  been 
sent  to  General  Lorges,  who  desired  that  Josephine 
should  give  them  herself.  The  clergy  came  to 
receive  her  at  the  door  of  the  church.  A  throne 
was  prepared  for  her  in  the  choir,  and  everything 
had  a  solemn  appearance.  General  Lorges  made  a 
speech,  but  he  is  more  brave  than  eloquent;  he 
knows  how  to  fight  better  than  he  knows  how  to 
speak  in  public.  He  said  to  us  in  this  discourse  that 
lie  thought  himself  happy  in  seeing  beauty  on  the 
throne  and  virtue  beside  it.  If  this  is  not  his  exact 
phrase,  it  is  at  least  his  thought.  We  could  all  feel 
aggrieved  at  this  compliment,  since  to  one  he  accorded 
virtue  without  beauty,  and  to  the  others  beauty  with- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  271 

out  virtue,  but  we  all  laughed  a  good  deal  over  it 
when  we  came  out.  The  Empress  told  us  that  she 
was  very  well  content  to  have  virtue  for  her  lot,  and 
asked  to  which  one  of  us  that  of  beauty  had  been 
awarded.  Self-love  stood  ready  to  persuade  each  one 
that  she  had  been  intended,  and  we  mutually  took 
the  credit  of  this  compliment. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  18,  1801.  —  Everything 
is  in  commotion  in  the  palace;  Bonaparte  arrives 
to-morrow.  It  is  extraordinary  that  in  a  situation 
like  his,  one  should  not  be  loved.^  That  would  be 
so  easy  when  one  has  only  to  will  to  make  people 
happy  in  order  to  do  so.  But  it  seems  that  he  does 
not  often  have  this  will ;  for  from  the  first  footman 
to  the  first  officer  of  the  crown,  each  one  experiences 
a  sort  of  terror  at  his  approach.  The  court  will 
become  more  brilliant;  the  ambassadors,  not  having 
been  newly  accredited  since  the  metamorphosis  of 
the  consul  into  an  emperor,  will  all  arrive  to 
present  their  letters.  We  shall  remain  here  sev- 
eral days  longer.  We  shall  go  to  Cologne  and 
Coblentz,  and  remain  some  days  in   each   city,  and 

1  There  is  a  great  eiTor  here,  to  say  the  least.  The  Emperor 
did  know  how  to  make  himself  loved,  and,  in  fact,  he  was  loved 
by  all  who  were  in  his  service.  I  believe  I  have  furnished  more 
than  one  proof  of  this  in  my  Memoirs.  Of  all  his  old  servants,  I 
dare  affirm  there  is  not  one  who  will  contradict  me  on  this  point. 
That  the  Emperor  may  not  have  been  loved  by  his  courtiers  is 
possible.  With  such  power  as  his,  one  makes  still  more  ingi'ates 
than  happy  people ;  and  the  gratitude  of  courtiers  is  proverbial. 
But  ought  one  to  bring  that  as  a  reproach  against  His  Majesty  ?  — 
Note  by  Constant. 


272  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

from  there  to  Mayence,  where  all  the  princes   who 
are  to  form  the  Rhine  confederation  will  assemble. 

August  19,  1804.  —  He  has  arrived,  and  espionage 
along  with  him  ;  the  vexations  which  ordinaril}'^  form 
his  cortege  have  already  banished  all  gaiety  from 
our  little  circle.  His  return  has  apprised  us  that 
among  a  dozen  persons  who  were  appointed  to  accom- 
pany Josephine  here,  there  is  one  who  was  entrusted 
with  the  part  of  spy.  Napoleon  knew  on  arriving 
that  on  such  a  day  we  had  made  an  excursion,  that 
on  such  another  day  we  had  breakfasted  with 
Madame  de  S^monville,  in  a  wood  in  the  environs 
of  Aix-la-Chapelle.  The  informer  (whom  we  know) 
thought  she  would  make  her  recital  more  meritorious 
by  attributing  to  General  Lorges,  who  is  young  and 
has  very  agreeable  manners,  the  fault  of  a  poor  old 
military  man  who,  probably,  having  been  a  soldier 
longer  than  an  officer,  did  not  know  that  one  should 
not  sit  down  before  the  Empress,  on  the  same  sofa. 
Josephine  was  too  kind  to  show  him  that  he  had 
done  an  unsuitable  thing ;  she  was  afraid  of  humili- 
ating him.  This  proof  of  her  goodness  of  heart  had 
been  transformed  into  a  guilty  condescension  in 
favor  of  a  young  man  for  whom  she  must  have  a 
great  deal  of  indulgence  and  kindness,  since  he 
could  feel  himself  so  perfectly  at  ease  with  her. 
This  was  tlie  conclusion  it  was  intended  that  the  Em- 
peror should  draw.  Luckily,  this  circumstance,  so 
unlikely  to  be  remarked,  had  been  so,  and  it  was  not 
difficult  for  Josephine  to  prove  who  was  the  guilty 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  273 

person:  his  age,  his  lack  of  experience  of  society, 
have  effaced  all  the  black  Avith  which  tliis  action 
had  been  painted.  How  can  one  help  being  aston- 
ished 1  that  a  man  who  has  passed  his  life  in  camps, 
who  has  been  nurtured  and  brought  up  by  the 
Republic,  should  attach  importance  to  these  trifles  ! 
Ah !  the  love  of  power  is  doubtless  natural  to  man ; 
a  child  does,  for  the  plaything  which  he  disputes 
with  his  comrade,  what  sovereigns  do,  at  a  more 
advanced  age,  for  the  provinces  they  wish  to  wrest 
from  each  other.  But  how  far  it  is  from  that  noble 
pride  which  wishes  to  dominate  its  equals,  to  this 
code  of  etiquette  which  forms  at  present  the  dearest 
occupation  of  Napoleon !  I  was  wondering  this 
evening,  as  I  looked  at  all  these  men  standing  up, 
and  not  daring  to  move  a  step  outside  the  circle 
they  formed,  why  it  is  that  the  powerful  of  all  times 
and  of  all  countries  have  attached  the  idea  of  respect 
to  constrained  attitudes.  I  think  they  find  the  sight 
of  all  these  men  bent  incessantly  in  their  presence 
sweet,  because  it  is  a  continual  reminder  of  their 
power  over  them. 

August  20,  1804.  —  This  morning  Napoleon  re- 
ceived all  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  cit3^ 
They  issued  from  this  audience  confounded,  aston- 
ished to  the  last  decrree.     "  What  a  man  ! "  said  the 


1  IIoio  can  one  help  being  astonisJted  that  it  seems  astonishing 

to  Madame that  the  Emperor  loved  his  honor  and  his  wife 

well  enough  to  be  jealous  of  both?     The  Republic  and  the  love  of 
power  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  —  Note  by  Constant. 

VOL.   1.  — T 


274  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

major  to  me,  "  what  a  prodigy !  what  a  universal 
genius !  How  is  it  that  he  knows  this  department, 
so  distant  from  the  capital,  better  than  we  do  ?  Not 
a  detail  escapes  him;  he  knows  everything;  he  is 
acquainted  with  all  the  products  of  our  industry." 
I  smiled ;  I  was  greatly  tempted  to  inform  this  honest 
man,  who  was  going  to  retail  his  admiration  through- 
out the  city,  that  it  would  bear  a  good  deal  of  abate- 
ment; that  this  perfect  acquaintance  which  Napo- 
leon displayed  to  them  is  a  piece  of  charlatanism 
with  which  he  subjugates  the  vulgar.  He  has  had 
thoroughly  exact  statistics  drawn  up  of  France  and 
its  reunited  departments.  When  he  travels,  he  takes 
with  him  the  manuscript  books  which  relate  to  the 
countries  he  is  to  visit ;  ^  these  he  learns  by  heart  an 
hour  before  the  audience ;  then  he  appears,  talks 
about  everything  with  the  air  of  a  man  whose  mind 
embraces  all  the  vast  country  that  he  governs,  and 
leaves  these  good  people  rapt  in  admiration.  An 
hour  afterward,  he  no  longer  knows  a  word  of  what 
excited  this  admiration. 

The  prefect,  M.  Mechin,  came  to  this  audience 
with  a  certain  assurance  (rather  common  with  him), 

1  What  matters  it  whether  the  Emperor  made  himself  conver- 
sant with  what  related  to  the  country  he  was  to  travel  tlirough  an 
hour  or  a  year  before  his  audience  ?  The  only  question  is  whether 
lie  did  make  himself  so  conversant.  And  if  he  learned  it  by  heart, 
how  could  he  have  forgotten  it  by  the  end  of  an  hour  ?  He 
remembered  it  so  well  that  he  generously  marked  his  passage  by 
benefits  and  improvements  which  attest  his  perfect  knowledge  of 
localities.  — Note  by  Constant. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  275 

not  suspecting  the  ordeal  he  was  about  to  undergo. 
Napoleon,  who  had  just  learned  his  lesson,  asked 
him  several  questions  to  which  he  did  not  know  how 
to  answer ;  he  was  troubled,  embarrassed.  "  Mon- 
sieur," said  the  Emperor  to  him,  "  when  a  man  does 
not  know  a  department  better  than  this,  he  is  un- 
worthy to  administer  it."  And  he  removed  him 
from  office.  Such  was  the  result  of  to-day's  audience. 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  21.  —  I  am  often  tempted 
to  inform  Napoleon,  who  asks  so  many  questions 
about  the  usages  of  the  old  court,  that  grace  and 
urbanity  prevailed  there ;  that  in  it  women  dared  to 
converse  with  princes.  Here,  we  are  precisely  like 
little  girls  who  are  going  to  be  examined  in  cate- 
chism. Napoleon  is  very  much  offended  if  any  one 
ventures  to  address  a  remark  to  him.^  Half  lying 
down  on  a  sofa,  he  alone  supplies  the  conversation ; 
for  nobody  replies  to  him  except  by  a  i/es  or  a  no,  sire, 
pronounced  very  timidly.  He  usually  talks  about 
the  arts,  such  as  music  and  painting ;  he  frequently 
takes  love  for  the  subject  of  conversation,  and  God 
knows  how  he  talks  about  it.^  It  does  not  belong  to 
a  woman  to  judge  a  general ;  hence,  I  shall  not  pre- 

1  It  was  no  more  customary  in  the  old  court  than  in  the  new 
one  for  any  one  to  address  a  remark  to  the  sovereign  without 
being  interrogated.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 

2  The  letters  wiltten  from  Italy  by  General  Bonaparte  to  his 
wife,  and  published  for  the  first  time  in  the  Memoirs  of  a  Con- 
temporary^ the  admirable  novel  entitled  Giulio,  in  the  Memoirs  of 
M.  de  Bonrrieiine,  make  it  plain  enough  whether  the  Emperor  did 
or  did  not  know  how  to  talk  of  love.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 


276  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

sume  to  speak  of  his  military  feats;  but  the  spirit 
of  the  salon  ^  is  our  province,  and  concerning  that  it  is 
permissible  to  sa}^  that  he  has  none  at  all. 

August  22,  1804.  —  It  must  be  that  this  need  of 
adulating  power  is  very  general,  since  not  even 
priests  are  exempt  from  it.  This  morning  we  were 
shown  what  are  called  the  grand  relics :  they  were 
sent  as  a  present  to  Charlemagne  by  the  Empress 
Irene,  and  have  been  preserved  since  that  time  in  an 
iron  press  contrived  in  a  wall.  This  press  is  opened 
every  seven  years,  to  show  the  relics  to  the  people, 
a  circumstance  which  attracts  a  very  considerable 
multitude  from  all  the  surrounding  region.  Each 
time  that  the  relics  are  replaced  in  the  press,  the  door 
is  walled  up,  and  not  opened  again  for  seven  years. 
Josephine  had  a  wish  to  see  them,  and  although  the 
seven  years  had  not  elapsed,  the  wall  was  demolished. 
Among  these  relics,  a  little  silver-gilt  casket  attracted 
particular  attention.  The  priests  who  showed  us  this 
treasure  piqued  our  curiosity  by  saying  that  the  most 
ancient  tradition  attached  a  great  happiness  to  the 
possibility  of  opening  this  coffer,  but  that  so  far 
nobody  had  been  able  to  do  it.  Josephine,  whose 
curiosity  was  keenly  excited,  took  it  in  her  fingers 
and  it  opened  almost  at  once.     There  were  no  ex- 


1  Whoever  has  been  near  the  Emperor  and  been  able  to  hear  his 
conversations,  sparkling  with  -wit  and  originality,  vritli  the  most 
eminent  men  of  his  court,  particularly  with  M.  dc  Fontanes,  will 
be  justly  surprised  at  reading  in  Madame  's  Diary  that  Na- 
poleon had  no  wit.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 


MEMOJES   OF  CONSTANT  277 

ternal  traces  of  a  lock,  but  there  must  have  been 
some  secret  for  opening  the  interior  spring.  I  am 
persuaded  that  the  priests  who  showed  us  the  relics 
knew  the  secret,  and  that  they  contrived  this  little 
pleasure  for  the  Empress.  However  it  may  be,  this 
circumstance  has  been  regarded  as  veri/  extraordinary  ; 
they  have  laid  great  stress  on  it  to  Josephine,  who, 
although  sufficiently  amused  by  this  surprise,  does 
not  attach  more  importance  to  it  than  it  deserves. 
For  the  rest,  curiosity  has  not  been  very  well  satis- 
fied ;  for  nothing  was  found  in  the  box  but  a  few 
little  scraps  of  stuff  which  may  be  regarded  as  relics 
if  one  chooses,  but  the  authenticity  of  which  is 
not  certified. 

I  have  come  back  home  saddened  by  this  employ- 
ment of  my  morning.  I  do  not  like  to  encounter 
courtiers  or  ambitious  men  among  the  clergy ;  I  can- 
not even  understand  how  there  can  be  any.  I  find 
something  so  noble,  so  elevated  in  their  prerogatives, 
that  my  imagination  likes  to  disengage  them  from  all 
our  weaknesses.  Detached  from  all  the  passions 
which  disturb  and  rule  humanity,  placed  as  inter- 
mediaries between  man  and  the  Divinity,  they  are 
entrusted  with  the  sweet  employment  of  consoling 
the  unfortunate,  and  of  showing  them,  athwart  the 
storms  of  life,  a  harbor  where  at  last  they  will  find 
repose.  Can  the  world  offer  a  dignity  equal  to  this 
privilege  which  is  reserved  to  them,  of  penetrating 
into  the  asylum  of  misfortune ;  of  soothing  there  the 
anguish   of   the  dying  and  again   surrounding   him 


278  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

with  hope ;  of  taking  from  death  that  which  is  most 
appalling  in  it,  —  the  dread  of  nothingness  ?  No,  a 
priest  cannot  barter  these  beautiful  prerogatives  for 
money,  or  for  what  the  world  calls  honors. 

August  23,  1804. —  On  opening  my  journal,  my 
eyes  fastened  on  the  page  I  wrote  yesterday ;  I  could 
not  help  smiling  as  I  compared  what  I  said  of  the 
simplicity,  the  sanctity,  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood, 
with  the  conversation  I  heard  this  evening  between 
M.  de  Pradt,  the  Emperor's  first  chaplain,  and  a 
general.  They  both  wore  the  same  decoration, — the 
cross  of  honor.  I  wondered  how  the  man  of  God, 
the  minister  of  peace,  had  merited  the  same  recom- 
pense as  the  warrior  charged  with  sending  death  to 
the  enemies  of  his  country.  Their  sovereigns  ought 
to  recall  the  lesson  taught  by  Alexander  on  the  dis- 
tinction between  recompenses :  a  man  very  adroitly 
darted  some  grains  of  millet  through  a  needle  in  his 
presence ;  he  ordered  that  a  bushel  of  millet  should 
be  given  him,  wishing  to  proportion  the  recompense 
to  the  utility  of  the  talent.  This  art  of  rewarding 
with  discernment  is  not  very  common  at  present. 
We  see  Talma  better  paid  than  a  general.  Tie  has 
more  than  sixty  thousand  francs,  both  from  the 
theatre  and  from  Bonaparte.  I  leave  the  comedian 
and  return  to  M.  de  Pradt.  While  listening  to  his 
brilliant,  philosophic  conversation  this  evening,  I  was 
reminded  of  the  piquant  question  once  addressed  to 
him  by  a  very  witty  man  who  found  himself  in  liis 
company  at   a   dinner   of   twenty-five   persons,   and 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  279 

who  asked  him:  " Monseigneur,  do  you  believe  in 
God?" 

August  24.  —  The  Emperor  plays  whist  nearly 
every  evening  with  Josephine  and  Madame  de  La 
Rochefoucauld;  the  fourth  person  is  chosen  from 
persons  who  come  to  the  drawing-room.  This  even- 
ing the  Due  d'Aremberg  was  to  be  the  fourth ;  the 
Emperor  found  it  rather  stimulating  to  play  with  a 
blind  man.  I  was  about  to  sit  down  at  the  tiresome 
loto  table,  when  the  first  chamberlain  came  to  tell  me 
that  Napoleon  had  designated  me  for  his  whist.  I 
replied  that  I  had  but  one  difficulty,  which  was  that 
I  had  never  learned  the  game.  M.  de  Rdmusat  went 
to  carry  my  response,  to  which  the  Emperor,  who 
does  not  know  what  an  impossibility  is,  said :  "  It  is 
all  the  same."  This  was  an  order ;  I  complied  with 
it.  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  whose  place  I  oc- 
cupied, gave  me  some  advice  ;  and  besides,  excepting 
the  Due  d'Aremberg,  who  has  the  memory  of  a  blind 
man,  and  who  never  forgets  a  single  card  named  to 
him,  I  played  pretty  nearly  as  well  as  the  Empress 
and  the  Emperor.  The  game  was  not  long.  The 
Due  d'Aremberg  usually  has  a  man  beside  him  who 
arranges  his  cards ;  his  play  is  designated  to  him  by 
means  of  a  little  board  adapted  to  the  table ;  by 
passing  his  hand  over  this  board,  he  knows  his  cards 
by  the  pegs  in  relief  which  are  placed  by  the  man 
whom  he  calls  his  marker.  He  plays  very  well  and 
even  with  astonishing  quickness,  if  one  thinks  of  all 
the  labor  required  to   make    him   know   his   cards. 


280  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTA^'T 

But,  not  daring  to  have  himself  accompanied  to  the 
palace  by  his  marker,  who  is  a  sort  of  valet  de 
chambre,  the  man's  place  was  taken  by  the  Duchesse 
d'Aremberg,  and  his  play  was  very  much  retarded ; 
hence  the  Emperor,  who  likes  to  play  quickl}^  and 
whose  curiosity  was  satisfied,  left  the  table  after  the 
first  rubber. 

August  25.  —  Corneille  was  right  when  he  said  : 

He  who  can  do  what  he  wills,  wills  more  than  he  ought. 

This  line  contains  a  moral  axiom  of  great  verity. 
M.  de  Semonville  is  a  victim  offered  to-day  by 
politics  in  holocaust  to  the  Dutch.  This  action  is 
revoltingly  unjust;  M.  de  Talleyrand  had  required 
of  M.  de  Semonville  some  measure  which  displeased 
the  Hollanders.  Bonaparte,  who  wants  to  keep  on 
good  terms  with  them,  would  not  avow  that  his 
ambassador  had  only  acted  in  accordance  with  the 
orders  of  M.  de  Talleyrand,  because  he  would  then 
have  to  sacrifice  him,  and  (although  he  detests  him), 
as  he  thinks  him  more  useful  than  M.  de  Semonville, 
he  sacrifices  the  latter.  Perhaps  they  think  they 
can  excuse  this  action  by  telling  us  that  the  ideas 
of  justice,  considered  in  connection  with  a  private 
person,  are  not  applicable  to  sovereigns ;  I  think, 
on  the  contrary,  that  as  their  actions  belong  to 
posterity,  which  will  judge  them  apart  from  the 
prestige  which  dazzles  us,  they  ought  always  to 
take  morality  and  justice  for  their  guides. 

Yesterday,  at  the  reception  of  ambassadors,  when 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  281 

Bonaparte  was  near  jM.  cle  Semonville,  he  turned 
his  Lack,  being  unwilling  to  speak  to  him ;  and 
when  the  latter  asked  the  sinfjle  favor  of  bein£f 
allowed  to  explain  himself  in  an  audience,  it  was 
refused  him.  They  knew  all  he  would  say;  he 
was  justified  In  advance ;  but  that  is  precisely  why 
he  was  not  received.  They  could  not  say  to  him : 
"  You  were  right ;  M.  de  Talleyrand  was  wrong, 
and  3'et  it  is  you  who  will  pay  for  him ;  "  as  this 
is  what  the  Emperor  had  decided  on  in  his  supe- 
rior wisdom,  he  will  neither  see  nor  listen  to  him. 
Is  it  true,  then,  that  the  abuse  of  power  is  always 
linked  with  power,  as  the  effect  is  to  the  cause  ? 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  August  26.  —  I  saw  M.  de  Semon- 
ville this  morning:  he  told  me  that  ]M.  de  Talley- 
rand, in  talking  with  him  yesterday,  tried  very 
adroitly  to  persuade  him  tliat  he  ought  to  give  orders 
at  the  Hague  to  liave  all  his  papers  burned.  "  Take 
care,"  he  said  to  him,  "  the  Emperor  is  a  petty  Nero.^ 
He  will  perhaps  send^  to  seize  your  papers,  and 
that  may  be  very  disagreeable.  iNIadame  de  Spare, 
your  stepdaughter,  is  at  the  Hague ;  write  and  tell 
her  to  burn  everything  promptly ;  it  is  more  essen- 

1  These  words  were  heard  by  the  Due  de  Bassano,  who  was 
leaning  on  the  chiraneypiece  near  which  MM.  de  Talleyrand  and 
Sfimonville  were  talking.  There  is  no  doubt  that  they  were  re- 
peated by  him  to  Napoleon.  —  Note  by  Madame . 

-  M.  de  Talleyrand  was  too  shrewd  a  courtier  to  use  such  lan- 
guage before  such  witnesses  ;  but  if  he  had  in  fact  done  so  M.  the 
Due  de  Bassano  was  incapable  of  repeating  them  to  the  Emperor. 
—  Note  by  the  editor. 


282  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

tial  thau  you  may  think."  This  counsel,  given  in 
a  friendly  and  interested  tone,  might  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  a  dolt ;  but  M.  de  Talleyrand  was  dealing 
with  a  man  as  shrewd  as  himself.  M.  de  Semonville 
perfectly  recognized  his  object,  which  was  to  destroy 
all  the  documents  that  would  justify  him.  Instead 
of  writing  to  Madame  de  Spare  to  burn  his  papers, 
he  had  just  despatched  one  of  his  stepsons,  M.  de 
Montholon,  in  search  of  them.  He  will  wait  until 
he  is  supplied  with  all  his  proofs ;  but  I  doubt  much 
that  they  will  produce  any  other  effect  than  that  of 
making  Bonaparte  very  cross  if  he  ever  consents  to 
look  at  them,  which  I  do  not  believe  he  will.^ 

This  evening  I  was  placed  beside  Madame  Lannes  ^ 
in  the  salon. 

This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  seen  her;  she 
has  arrived  from  Portugal  with  her  husband,  who 
was  ambassador  there.  I  found  her  charming.  The 
Emperor,  in  going  around  the  drawing-room,  said 
to  her  in  that  extraordinary  tone  he  uses  with  all 
women :  "  The?/  say  you  lived  on  fine  terms  tvith  the 
Prince-regent  of  Portugal.''''     Madame  Lannes  replied 


1 M.  dc  Semonville  lost  his  embassy,  and  was  honorably 
annulled  by  the  Senate.  In  recalling  these  facts,  which  are  exact, 
one  must  be  astonished  that  M.  de  Montholon,  one  of  the  two 
stepsons  of  M.  de  S6monville,  should  in  the  seciucl  have  attached 
himself  to  the  destiny  of  Napoleon.  When  the  explanation  of  this 
stranp;e  conduct  is  sought  for,  it  may  be  found  in  M.  de  Montholon's 
marriage,  which  was  not  approved  by  his  family,  and  set  them 
at  variance. 

2  Afterwards  the  Duchess  de  Montebello. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  283 

very  suitably  that  the  Prince  had  always  treated 
her  husband  and  herself  with  much  kindness.  She 
returned  to  my  side,  saying  to  me :  "I  do  not  know 
what  fatality  always  places  me  under  the  Emperor's 
eyes  when  he  is  in  a  bad  humor;  because  I  do  not 
think  he  means  to  say  disagreeable  things  to  me; 
and  yet  that  often  happens. "  The  poor  woman 
almost  had  tears  in  her  eyes.  This  unbefitting 
sarcasm  was  all  the  more  out  of  place  because  her 
conduct  is  generally  eulogized;  but,  this  evening. 
Napoleon  was  unchained  against  all  women ;  he  told 
us  we  "  had  no  patriotism,  no  national  spirit ;  that 
we  ought  to  blush  to  wear  muslins;  that  English- 
women set  us  an  example  by  wearing  nothing  but 
stuffs  of  their  own  country;  that  this  craze  for  Eng- 
lish muslins  is  all  the  more  extraordinary  since  we 
have  in  France  linen-cambrics  which  could  replace 
them  and  would  make  much  prettier  dresses ;  that  for 
his  part  he  should  always  love  that  stuff  preferably 
to  any  other,  because,  in  his  youth,  his  first  sweet- 
heart had  a  frock  of  it."  At  that  expression,  first 
sweetheart,  I  could  hardly  avoid  laughing,  all  the 
more  because  my  eyes  met  those  of  Madame  de  La 
Rochefoucauld,  wlio  was  dying  with  desire  to  do  the 
same.  It  is  extraordinary  that  Bonaparte  should 
have  such  common  manners.^     When  he  wishes  to  be 

1  Again  the  manners  of  the  Emperor !  But  that  day  he  was 
unchained  against  icomen,  which  explains  Madame  's  ill- 
temper  with  him.  We  need  not  say  that  there  is  more  than  exag- 
geration in  describing  as  insolence  the  brusqucrie  with  which  the 


284  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

dignified,  he  is  insolent  and  disdainful ;  and  if  he 
has  a  moment  of  gaiety,  he  becomes  the  most  vulgar 
of  men.  His  brother-in-law  Murat,  born  in  a  class 
far  beneath  his  own,  and  who  received  no  manner  of 
education,  has  formed  himself  in  the  school  of 
society  in  an  astonishing  manner.  I  was  at  Dijon 
several  years  ago,  at  the  time  when  he  went  to 
review  an  army  corps  which  had  been  assembled 
there.  I  dined  with  him  at  the  house  of  General 
Canclaux,  who  was  in  command  at  Dijon;  and  then 
he  had  altogether  the  appearance  of  a  soldier  in  an 
officer's  uniform.  I  saw  him  again  recently,  and  T 
was  astonished  to  find  his  manners  very  polished, 
and  even  rather  agreeable.  But  Napoleon  is  too 
proud  ever  to  acquire  anything  in  point  of  manners ; 
he  has  too  much  respect  for  himself  ever  to  think 
of  self-examination,  and  too  much  contempt  for  the 
human  species  to  think  for  a  single  moment  that  any 
one  can  be  better  than  he. 


Emperor  might  sometimes  be  reproached,  in  common  with  Fred- 
erick II.  and  other  great  men,  and  to  see  nothing  but  the  most 
vulgar  gaiety  in  his  moments  of  affability.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  DIARY   CONTINUED. 

The  Duke  and    Duchess   of    Bavaria  — Their    children  —  Prince 
Pius  —  The  little  body  and  the  big  ribbons — Princess  Elisabeth 

—  The  Emperor  offended  by  hearing  her  talk  at  table  —  De- 
parture from  Aix-la-Chapelle  and  arrival  at  Cologne  —  The 
steeples,  the  churches,  and  the  convents  —  Work  and  sleep  of 
the  Emperor —  His  use  of  coffee  — The  Emperor  at  the  toilet 
of  the  Empress  — The  jewel-case  disarranged  by  the  Em- 
peror—  Mysteries  of  the  toilet  —  The  Emperor  much  occupied 
with  the  toilet  of  the  ladies  of  his  court  —  Five  toilets  a  day  — 
The  Emperor's  antipathy  for  sensible  women  —  ^Yomen  con- 
sidered by  him  as  part  of  his  furniture  —  The  Emperor  and  the 
Queen  of  Prussia  —  Departure  from  Cologne  and  sojourn  at 
Bonn  —  The  house  and  gardens  of  M.  de  Belderbuch  —  Noc- 
turnal meditation  on  the  bank  of  the  Rhine  —  Hymns  of  the 
German  pilgrims — M.  de  Chaban,  prefect  of  Coblentz  —  Voy- 
age on  the  Rhine  —  Picturesque  sites  —  Storm  and  tempest  on 
the  Rhine  —  Arrival  at  Bingen  —  Delay  —  Double  entrance  at 
Mayence  —  Discontent  attributed  to  Napoleon  —  Stormy  tete- 
a-tete —  Tears  of  the  Empress  —  Presentation  of  the  Princess  of 
Baden  —  Family  quarrel  on  the  subject  of  Prince  Eugene  — 
Firmness  of  the  Empress  —  The  Emperor  a  slave  to  etiquette 

—  M.  de  Caulaincourt  and  the  Princess  of  Baden — Outburst  of 
the  Emperor  against  Kant  —  Tlie  Princess  and  the  Hereditary 
Prince  of  Hesse-Darmstadt  and  his  wife  the  Princess  Wilhel- 
mine  of  Baden  —  Josephine's  curiosity  —  Portrait  of  the  Prin- 
cess Wilhelmine  —  Josephine's  little  triumph  —  The  yacht  of 
the  Prince  of  Nassau-Weilbourg  —  Breakfast  on  a  Rhine  island 

—  Ravages  of  war  —  The  Emperor  grants  the  petition  of  a  poor 
woman  —  Beneficent  action  of  Josephine  —  Definition  of  happi- 
ness given  by  the  Emperor  —  Excursion  of  the  author  and 

285 


286  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld  to  Frankfort — The  grand  May- 
ence  ball  —  Unreasonableness  of  the  Emperor  —  Josephine 
obliged  to  go  to  the  ball  although  ill — The  princesses  of  Nassau 
—  The  author's  humiliation  on  seeing  the  Emperor  ignore  court 
usages  —  Breakfast  with  the  Prince  of  Nassau  —  Severity  of 
the  Emperor  toward  Madame  Lorges  —  German  taste  and  French 
taste  —  Departure  from  Mayence  —  Monotony  of  harangues. 

A  IX-LA-CHAPELLE,  August  28.  —  The  Duke 
-^^  and  Duchess  Leopold  of  Bavaria,  Prince  Pius, 
their  son,  and  Princess  Elisabeth,  their  daughter,^ 
have  arrived  here  to  pay  their  court ;  they  have  just 
taken  possession  of  Dusseldorf,  which  fell  to  them  by 
way  of  indemnity.  The  Duchess  must  have  been  a 
very  beautiful  woman  ;  she  has  a  fine  figure  and  a  very 
noble  air.  Prince  Pius,  her  son,  is  just  at  that  most 
disadvantageous  age,  between  childhood  and  youth. 
The  Emperor  has  laughed  a  good  deal  at  his  little 
legs,  Avhich  have  all  they  can  do  to  support  his 
small  body,  overladen  with  orders  and  grand  cor- 
dons. They  make  a  droll  little  caricature  of  him. 
The  Princess  Elisabeth  is  not  pretty,  but  I  think 
that  if  she  were  better  dressed  she  would  be  well- 
shaped.  She  is  very  polite  and  very  talkative,  a 
thing  which  scandalizes  Napoleon.  At  dinner  she 
was  placed  between  him  and  Eugene  de  Beauhar- 
nais :  accustomed  to  her  father's  little  court,  and  to 
that  of  the  Elector  of  Bavaria,  she  is  simple  enough 
not  to  be  at  all  intimidated  in  speaking  to  Bona- 
parte.    He  finds  it  most  extraordinary  that  she  does 

1  Since  Trinccss  of  Neufchatcl  and  Wagram. 


MEMOinS  OF  CONSTANT  287 

not  wait  until  she  is  asked  a  question,  as  all  the 
persons  do  by  whom  he  is  surrounded.  Hence,  I 
remarked  at  table  that  he  paid  very  little  attention 
to  her,  as  if  he  wished  to  punish  her  for  not  being 
afraid  of  him  ;  but  Eugene,  whose  manners  are  so 
good,  and  who  sat  on  the  other  side  of  the  Princess, 
was  what  he  always  is,  perfectly  polite. 

Cologne,  August  31.  —  We  have  left  Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle,  and  the  day  before  yesterday  we  arrived  at 
Cologne,  a  city  which  has  a  very  gloomy  appearance. 
As  we  were  entering  some  one  called  my  attention 
to  its  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  steeples,  which 
shows  what  an  enormous  number  of  convents  and 
churches  were  here  before  the  French  took  posses- 
sion. I  hope  we  shall  stay  here  only  a  few  days. 
One  tiling  that  I  had  already  remarked  at  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  but  more  particularly  here,  is  the  errors 
every  one  entertains  on  the  subject  of  Napoleon. 
It  is  a  common  notion  that  he  seldom  sleeps,  and 
that  he  works  incessantly ;  but  I  see  that  if  he  rises 
early  to  put  the  regiments  through  their  manojuvres, 
he  takes  good  care  to  go  to  bed  much  earlier  in  the 
evening.  Yesterday,  for  example,  he  was  on  horse- 
back by  five  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  in  the  evening 
he  retired  to  his  apartment  before  nine ;  and  Jose- 
phine told  us  that  it  was  to  go  to  bed.  They  pre- 
tend also  that  he  makes  an  immoderate  use  of  coffee, 
to  shake  off  sleep ;  he  takes  a  cup  after  his  breakfast, 
and  as  much  at  dinner.  But  this  is  the  way  with  the 
public :  if  a  man,  placed  in  fortunate  circumstances, 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 


performs  great  things,  we  lay  it  all  to  the  account  of 
his  genius.  We  are  unwilling  to  owe  anything  to 
the  power  of  chance:  that  admission  is  repugnant 
to  human  self-love.  Our  imagination  creates  a  phan- 
tom, and  surrounds  it  with  a  brilliant  aureole  ;  ^  but 
if  we  are  permitted  to  see  it  at  closer  quarters,  all 
this  prestige  with  which  we  adorned  it  when  at 
a  distance  disappears ;  once  more  we  find  the  man 
with  all  his  weaknesses,  all  his  littleness,  and  we 
wax  indignant  at  the  worship  we  have  rendered 
him. 

Cologne,  September  1.  —  This  morning  I  was 
chatting  with  Josephine  while  her  hair  was  being 
dressed.  The  Emperor  came  in,  and  upset  the 
whole  jewel-case  to  make  her  try  on  different  orna- 
ments. It  was  good  to  see  Madame  Saint-Hilaire, 
the  first  femme  de  chambre,  who  has  charge  of  the 
jewels,  at  the  instant  when  Bonaparte  was  dis- 
arranging them.  She  was  formerly  femme  de 
chambre  to  Madame  Adelaide,  and  would  like  to  es- 
tablish the  same  etiquette  in  the  department  of  the 
toilet  to  which  she  was  accustomed  in  the  old  court ; 
but  that  is  not  easy.  A  sufficiently  large  number  of 
femmes  de  chambre  have  been  appointed,  who  were 
each  to  be  on  duty  three  months  at  a  time.  Jose- 
phine, who  is  arriving  at  that  age  when  one  has  need 
of  all  the  art  and  all  the  mysteries  of  the  toilet,  was 

^  I  do  not  sec  why  the  Emperor  should  lose  his  brilliant  aureole 
for  sometimes  going  to  bed  early  and  using  coffee  with  moderation. 
—  Note  by  Constant. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  289 

much  annoyed  at  having  all  these  spectators ;  she 
begged  to  retain  only  her  former  women ;  and,  with 
the  exception  of  Madame  Saint-Hilaire,  all  those 
who  had  been  appointed  were  converted  into  dames 
d'anrionce.  Their  only  function  is  to  announce  the 
Emperor  when  he  comes  to  see  the  Empress ;  conse- 
quently they  are  in  the  interior  of  the  apartments. 

This  mania  for  meddling  with  the  toilet  of  women 
is  very  extraordinary  in  a  man  entrusted  (I  mean  to 
say  all  but)  with  the  destinies  of  the  world.  It  is 
so  well  known  that  Herbaut,  Josephine's  valet  de 
chambre,  remarked  to  me  the  first  time  that  he 
dressed  my  hair,  that  I  placed  my  diadem  at  one 
side,  and  that  the  Emperor  wished  to  have  them 
all  worn  absolutely  straight.  I  laughed  at  his 
observation,  and  assured  him  that  I  dressed  to 
please  mj'self,  and  consulted  no  taste  but  my  own. 
He  was  very  much  astonished,  and  assured  me 
that  all  these  ladies  were  careful  to  conform  to  that 
of  Napoleon.  He  occupies  himself  with  these  details 
to  such  a  degree  that  on  one  day  of  great  ceremony, 
Josephine  having  put  on  a  dress  of  pink  and  silver 
which  he  did  not  like,  he  threw  his  inkstand  at  her 
with  violence,  to  force  her  to  change  it.  Here  we  do 
nothing  else :  at  ten  in  the  morning  we  dress  for 
breakfast ;  at  noon  we  make  another  toilet  to  go  to 
the  presentations  ;  often  these  are  renewed  at  differ- 
ent hours,  and  the  dress  must  always  be  adapted  to 
the  sort  of  persons  who  are  presented:  so  that  it 
sometimes  happens  that  we  change  our  toilet  three 


290  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

times  in  the  course  of  tlie  morning,  making  a  fourth 
for  dinner,  and  a  fifth  for  a  ball.  This  continual  occu- 
pation is  a  perfect  torment  to  me. 

Cologne,  September  2.  —  The  Emperor  has  a 
very  pronounced  antipathy  for  what  are  called 
sensible  women ;  he  limits  d\iv  destination  to  orna- 
menting- a  salon.  So  much  so  that  I  think  he  finds 
no  great  difference  between  a  fine  vase  of  flowers 
and  a  pretty  woman.  When  he  busies  himself 
about  their  toilet,  it  is  on  account  of  the  luxury 
he  wishes  to  establish  in  all  his  furniture  ;  he  finds 
fault  with  or  approves  a  dress  just  as  he  would  do 
with  the  covering  of  an  armchair;  a  woman  at  his 
court  is  only  one  more  piece  of  stage  furniture 
in  his  salon.  Josephine  says  banteringly  that  there 
are  at  least  five  or  six  days  in  the  year  on  which 
women  might  have  some  influence  over  him,  but 
that,  these  few  days  excepted,  they  count  for  nothing 
(or  almost  nothing)  with  him.  This  evening  the 
conversation  turned  upon  the  Queen  of  Prussia ; 
he  cannot  endure  her,  and  he  does  not  conceal  it. 
Sovereigns  are  exactly  like  lovers  ;  if  they  quarrel, 
they  say  horrible  things  about  each  other.  They 
ought  to  remember  when  they  are  at  war  that 
they  will  end  by  making  peace,  and  that  in  this 
case,  although  they  restore  the  fortresses  they  have 
taken,  they  cannot  efface  the  insulting  things  they 
have  said.  I  believe  that  this  method,  so  fashion- 
able at  present,  of  filling  the  journals  with  recip- 
rocal   invectives,    arises    in    great    part    from    the 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  291 


character  of  Napoleon  and  the  newness  of  his 
dynasty ;  for,  in  reading  history,  I  discover  that 
there  was  formerly  a  tone  of  moderation  between 
princes  making  war  with  each  other  which  no  longer 
exists  at  present. 

Bonn,  September  5.  — ■  We  left  Cologne  this  morn- 
ing. For  a  long  time  I  have  not  passed  so  agreeable 
an  evening  as  to-day.  The  Empress  has  been  enter- 
tained by  M.  de  Belderbiich,  who  has  a  charming 
house.  The  garden,  which  was  illuminated,  extends 
to  the  bank  of  the  Rhine,  which  is  very  wide  at  this 
place.  Musicians  had  been  placed  in  a  boat  on  the 
stream.  While  they  were  setting  off  fireworks  after 
supper,  I  slipped  away  alone  to  the  bottom  of  the 
garden,  as  far  as  the  shore.  I  needed  to  escape  for 
a  few  moments  from  the  constraint  that  weighs  on 
me  so  heavily.  The  air  was  pure  and  calm ;  little 
by  little  people  quitted  the  garden.  Nothing  was 
to  be  heard  but  sweet  harmonious  music ;  but 
presently  even  that  ceased;  the  most  profound 
silence  was  interrupted  only  by  the  sound  of  the 
waves  breaking  on  the  stones  near  which  I  was 
leaning.  The  moon,  which  was  reflected  in  the 
stream,  came  to  replace  the  lanterns  which  were 
going  out  in  the  garden,  and  to  spread  the  harmony 
of  its  gentle  radiance  over  the  beautiful  scene  before 
my  eyes.  Absorbed  in  profound  reflection,  I  did  not 
perceive  that  the  hours  Avere  gliding  by,  until  some 
religious  hymns  which  became  audible  in  the  extreme 
distance   awakened   my   attention.      I   cannot    well 


292  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTAXT 

describe  their  effect  upon  me  in  that  instant ;  they 
might  have  been  taken  for  a  concert  of  celestial 
spirits,  these  hymns  which  the  winds  were  bringing 
me  from  the  other  bank  of  the  Rhine.  But  the 
pleasure  I  found  in  listening  to  these  sounds,  aerial 
as  it  were,  was  interrupted.  Some  persons  who, 
disturbed  by  my  long  absence,  were  looking  for 
me  in  the  garden,  came  up  just  at  that  moment; 
they  told  me  that  at  this  time  of  the  year  it  is 
very  common  in  Germany  for  the  people  of  several 
villages  to  assemble  for  the  purpose  of  visiting 
different  saints  venerated  in  the  region,  and  that 
these  pilgrims  frequently  march  during  the  night 
to  avoid  the  heat,  sometimes  singing  hymns  with 
that  harmony  almost  natural  to  Germans.  Thus 
were  explained  the  religious  hymns  I  had  just 
listened   to. 

Coblentz,  September  8.  —  Here  we  are  lodged  at 
the  prefecture.  The  simplicity,  I  might  almost  say 
the  poverty  of  the  furniture,  does  great  honor  to  the 
prefect,  M.  de  Chaban.  The  Emperor  expressed 
surprise  at  this  destitution;  the  prefect  replied: 
"  Tliis  region  is  so  poor,  and  there  are  so  many 
unfortunates,  that  I  should  be  ashamed  to  ask  the 
city  for  an  increase  for  tlie  sake  of  luxuries.  I  have 
everything  that  is  necessary."  These  necessaries  are 
several  old  armchairs,  an  old  bed,  and  some  tables. 
This  simplicity  is  admirable.  He  occupies  himself 
with  nothing  but  the  care  of  the  poor.  One  delights 
in  meeting  such  a  being,  who  unites  much   intelli- 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  293 

gence  to  so  many  virtues.  The  Emperor,  who  is 
always  surrounded  by  artistic  luxur}^  was  inclined 
to  be  displeased  on  arriving  at  being  lodged  in  this 
fashion ;  his  dry  and  arid  soul  cannot  appreciate  all 
M.  de  Chaban's  worth  ;i  but  yet  he  knows  how  well 
his  paternal  administration  is  adapted  to  make  the 
French  liked  in  this  country. 

Coblentz,  September  9.  —  I  think  I  shall  have  to 
accuse  myself  of  a  little  duplicity  to-day;  because 
one  can  have  no  compromise  with  conscience  ;  it  is 
not  deceived  by  expressions.  The  Emperor  promised 
Josephine  this  morning  that,  if  he  did  not  restore 
to  my  husband  the  unsold  property  of  which  I  desire 
the  restitution,  he  would  at  any  rate  make  it  up  to 
him  by  an  appointment.  After  dinner,  when  the 
time  came  for  coffee,  the  Empress  was  urging  me 
to  thank  Napoleon.  When  he  drew  near  us,  asking 
what  we  were  doing,  "She  is  telling  me,"  replied 
Josephine,  "that  she  dares  not  thank  you  for  what 
you  promised  me  this  morning  for  her."  "  Why 
not  ?  "  said  the  Emperor.  "  Do  I  frighten  you  ?  " 
"But,  Sire,"  I  returned,  "  it  is  not  extraordinary  that 
the  idea  of  what  Your  INIajesty  has  done  should 
attach  to  your  person,  and  consequently  make  it 
imposing."  I  was  telling  the  truth :  it  is  the  death 
of  the  Due  d'Enghien,  and  that  of  so  many  other 
victims,  which,  for  me,  attaches  to  his  person,  and 


1  The  Emperor  was  economical  and  incessantly  preached  econ- 
omy.—  Note  by  Constant. 


294  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

always  shows  him  to  me  stained  with  their  blood. 
And  yet  (see  the  perversity!),  I  was  not  sorry  that 
he  was  deceived  by  my  response,  which  he  under- 
stood as  a  compliment  which  made  him  smile.  Ah ! 
I  fear  that  example  is  beginning  to  corrupt  me.  It 
is  high  time  for  me  to  go  back  and  cultivate  my 
fields! 

Coblentz,  September  10.  —  It  seems  that  Napoleon 
had  last  night  a  violent  attack  of  the  nervous  malady 
or  epilepsy  to  which  he  is  subject.  He  had  been 
ver}^  much  indisposed  for  a  long  time  before  Jose- 
phine, who  occupied  the  same  room,  dared  to  summon 
assistance  ;  but  finally,  his  suffering  being  prolonged, 
she  determined  to  have  a  light.  Roustan,  who 
always  lies  outside  the  Emperor's  door,  was  sleeping 
so  profoundly  that  she  could  not  waken  him.  The 
apartment  of  the  prefect  is  so  far  removed  from 
luxury  that  it  does  not  even  contain  matters  of  mere 
convenience.  There  was  no  bell;  the  valets  de 
chambre  were  far  away,  and  Josephine,  only  half- 
dressed,  was  obliged  to  set  ajar  the  door  of  the  aide- 
de-camp  on  duty  in  order  to  get  a  light.  General 
Rapp,  somewhat  astonished  by  this  nocturnal  visit, 
gave  her  one;  and,  after  several  hours  of  anguish, 
the  attack  was  assuaged.  Napoleon  had  forbidden 
Josephine  to  say  a  single  word  about  his  indisposi- 
tion. Hence  she  imposed  secrecy  on  all  to  whom 
she  recounted  it  this  morning.  But  how  can  one 
expect  that  others  will  keep  a  secret  that  we  cannot 
keep  ourselves  ?     And  liave  we  a  right  to  impose  on 


MEMOIIiS  OF  CONSTANT  295 

others  a  discretion  in  which  we  are  lacking?  The 
Emperor  was  pale  enough  this  evening,  depressed 
enough;  but  nobody  ventured  to  ask  him  how  he 
was.  They  knew  they  would  incur  disgrace  by  seem- 
ing to  think  that  His  Majest}^  could  be  subject  to 
any  human  infirmity.  ^ 

Coblentz,  September  11.  —  I  stayed  for  a  moment 
in  the  salon  of  the  aides-de-camp:  Generals  Cafarelli, 
Rapp,  and  Lauriston  were  there ;  they  were  talking 
of  the  extreme  favor  Avhich  M.  de  Caulaincourt 
enjoys.  "  We  don't  envy  it,"  said  these  gentlemen  ; 
"  we  would  not  have  bought  it  at  the  same  price." 
This  sentiment  is  doubtless  common  to  many  people  ; 
but,  in  the  position  of  these  gentlemen,  I  thought 
there  was  some  merit  in  expressing  it  so  frankly .^ 

1  The  Emperor  was  never  subject  to  attacks  of  epilepsy.  That 
is  another  of  the  stories  they  have  retailed  about  him.  It  will  be 
seen,  in  the  portrait  I  have  drawn  of  the  Emperor,  what  might 
have  given  rise  to  it.  —  Note  by  Constant. 

2  It  is  a  matter  of  public  notoriety  at  present  that  the  Due  de 
Vicenza,  so  unworthily  calumniated  during  so  many  years  by 
enemies  who  skilfully  profited  by  the  silence  imposed  on  him  by 
his  position  near  the  Emperor,  neither  took  nor  could  take  any 
part  in  the  catastrophe  of  the  Due  d'Enghien.  It  is  proved  that  at 
the  moment  when  General  Ordener,  who  alone  was  commissioned 
to  arrest  the  unhappy  Prince,  acquitted  himself  of  this  fatal  mission, 
M.  de  Caulaincourt  was  thirty  leagues  from  Ettenheim,  charged, 
for  his  own  part,  to  arrest  the  Baroness  de  Keich  and  several 
emigres  who  were  keeping  up  a  correspondence  against  the  head 
of  the  French  government,  and  that  M.  de  Caulaincourt  became 
less  rigorous  before  repassing  the  frontier  with  them.  It  is  proved 
that  M.  de  Caulaincourt  had  no  knowledge  of  the  mission  confided 
to  General  Ordener  until  everybody  else  knew  it,  and  after  this 
mission  was  accomplished  ;  finally,  it  is  proved  that  M.  de  Caulain- 


296  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Coblentz,  September  12.  —  The  Prince  of  Nassau- 
Weilbourg  has  come  here  to  pay  his  court.  He  has 
proposed  to  Josephine  to  send  her  two  yachts  in 
which  to  ascend  the  Rhine  as  far  as  Mayence ;  which 
she  has  accepted.  We  start  to-morrow,  and  the 
Emperor  will  follow  the  new  road  which  has  been 
opened  on  the  banks  of  the  Rhine. 

Bingen,  September  13.  —  Our  voyage  has  been  very 
agreeable  all  day,  and  that  nothing  might  be  lacking 
to  it,  we  can  even  join  to  it  the  description  of  a  tempest 
which  was  very  nearly  fatal  to  us,  and  which  delayed 
our  arrival  here  until  midnight.  The  banks  of  the 
Rhine,  from  Coblentz  to  Bingen,  are  very  pictur- 
esque ;  the  greater  part  of  the  way  they  bristle  with 
rocks  and  very  lofty  mountains,  on  which  may  be 
seen  a  large  number  of  old  castles.  It  is  astonish- 
ing that  places  which  seem  so  wild  could  have  been 
inhabited  by  human  creatures.  Our  attention  was 
called  to  a  tower  which  rises  in  the  middle  of  the 
Rhine.  The  Palatine  princesses  were  formerly 
obliged  to  come  and  inhabit  this  tower  when  about 
to  become  mothers.  I  do  not  know  what  could  have 
been  the  motive  of  this  custom,  for  the  tower  seems 
uninhabitable.     It  is  called  the  Castle  of  the  Mouse 

court  was  at  LunSville  the  day  and  hour  of  t.lie  sanguinary  execu- 
tion of  the  Due  d'Enghien.  M.  de  Bourriennc  has  already  rectified 
in  his  Memoirs  the  error  of  which  tlie  Due  de  Vicenza  lias  too  long 
been  the  victim.     We  likewise  make   it  a  duty  to  protest  here 

against  eveiy  passage  in  the  journal  of  Madame ,  which  could 

be  construed  injuriously  against  the  memory  of  one  of  the  most 
honorable  men  of  the  Empire.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  297 


(le  chdteau  de  la  Souris)  and,  in  fact,  I  think  no 
other  species  of  animal  would  make  it  their  abode. 
As  we  were  passing  Rhinsels  and  Bacareuch,  some  of 
the  inliabitants  came  in  boats,  accompanied  by  bands, 
to  offer  us  fruits.  On  reaching  Bingen,  the  Rhine 
contracts  very  greatly  between  the  mountains,  and 
rolls  its  floods  with  fearful  rapidity,  which  they  tell 
me  is  not  always  free  from  danger.  The  sky,  which 
had  been  very  clear  and  serene  all  day,  became  over- 
cast by  clouds  at  evening,  and  we  were  surprised 
by  a  frightful  storm  said  some,  a  very  fine  one, 
according  to  others ;  for,  in  this  world,  nearly  every- 
thing is  called  by  a  new  name,  depending  on  the 
impression  of  him  who  speaks  of  it.  I  shall  say, 
then,  that  a  very  fme  storm  came  to  light  up 
our  navigation.  Josephine  and  some  other  ladies, 
who  were  somewhat  frightened,  shut  themselves  up 
in  the  little  cabin  of  the  yacht,  but  I  wanted  to  enjo}^ 
a  spectacle  which  was  new  to  me.  The  lightning 
flashes,  which  rapidly  succeeded  each  other,  allowed 
us  to  see  the  other  yacht,  containing  the  women  and 
the  suite  of  the  Empress,  which  was  following  us.  Its 
large  white  sails,  shaken  by  a  violent  wind,  stood  out 
against  the  dark  clouds  which  obscured  the  sky. 
The  noise  of  the  waves  and  of  the  thunder  which 
made  itself  gently  heard  in  the  high  mountains 
between  which  the  Rhine  is  straitened  at  this  spot, 
added  a  certain  solemnity  to  the  scene.  Gradually 
the  storm  lulled  and  we  arrived  at  Bingen  at  mid- 
night. 


298  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Mayence,  September  14.  —  The  banks  of  the  Rhine, 
from  Bingen  to  Mayence,  are  much  less  picturesque 
than  those  we  saw  yesterday.  The  country  is  more 
open.  "We  arrived  at  three  o'clock.  We  were 
expected  at  eleven ;  but  Josephine,  fatigued  the 
previous  evening  by  the  storm  which  had  delayed  her 
arrival  at  Bingen,  was  not  well,  and  could  not  leave 
as  soon  as  had  been  expected.  Moreover,  the  relays 
of  horses  which  had  been  placed  on  the  banks  of  the 
Rhine  to  work  up  the  yachts,  having  been  badly 
managed,  we  could  not  arrive  sooner. 

This  circumstance,  which  seemed  indifferent 
enough,  was  not  so  to  Bonaparte.  As  luck  would 
have  it,  the  courier  who  announced  him  arrived  pre- 
cisely at  the  instant  when  the  Empress's  two  yachts 
were  sighted.  The  entire  population  of  Mayence 
had  been  on  the  wharf  since  eleven  o'clock.  Young 
girls  dressed  in  white,  and  carrying  baskets  of  flowers, 
were  stationed  on  both  sides  of  a  little  bridge  which 
had  been  prepared  for  the  disembarkation.  Gen- 
eral Lorges,  commanding  the  division,  the  mayor, 
and  the  prefect  were  there  to  receive  Josephine, 
when  the  courier  who  preceded  the  Emperor 
announced  his  arrival.  General  Lorges,  followed 
merely  by  an  aide-de-camp,  went  on  horseback  to 
receive  him.  On  entering  Mayence,  Napoleon  was 
disagreeably  surprised  to  find  all  tlie  houses  closed, 
not  a  single  person  on  his  passage,  not  a  solitary  cry 
of  Long  live  the  Emperor!  He  seemed  to  be  enter- 
ing  a   tomb.     It   was   simple    enough   that   all   the 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTyiNT  299 

people  who  had  gone  to  the  wharf  at  eleven  o'clock, 
should  not  have  left  it  the  very  moment  the  yachts 
were  perceived.  The  arrival  of  the  Empress,  who 
was  to  listen  to  a  speech,  presented  a  more  agreeable 
sight  than  the  carriage  in  which  Napoleon  was  shut 
up.  It  is  not  astonishing,  then,  that  they  should 
have  remained  on  the  bank  of  the  Rliine.  It  seems 
that  the  Emperor  was  keenly  wounded  by  this  pref- 
erence. Josephine's  carriages  arrived  in  the  court 
of  the  palace  at  the  same  time  with  his  own.  Na- 
poleon, in  passing  in  front  of  us,  made  a  slight  incli- 
nation of  the  head  with  an  ill-humored  air;  but  as 
that  often  happens,  we  paid  little  attention  to  it, 
and  went  to  our  respective  apartments.  This  even- 
ing, the  Emperor  and  Empress  dining  alone,  we 
were  waiting-  in  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld's 
apartment  for  the  signal  usually  given  at  seven 
o'clock  for  us  to  go  down  into  the  salon  ;  but  seven, 
eight,  nine  o'clock  struck,  and  no  one  came  for  us. 
We  were  joking  about  the  long  tete-a-tete  of  Their 
Majesties,  when  the  summons  came.  On  entering 
the  salon,  we  were  surprised  to  find  no  one  there. 
In  a  short  time,  Bonaparte  issued  from  Josephine's 
chamber;  he  crossed  the  salon,  greeting  us  again 
with  his  little  ill-lnimored  nod,  and  retired  to  his 
apartment,  which  he  did  not  leave  again  that  even- 
ing. 

The  Empress  remaining  in  her  room,  Madame  do 
La  Rochefoucauld  entered  it  and  found  her  weep- 
ing bitterly.     Napoleon  had  made  a  frightful  scene 


300  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

which  had  lasted  until  now.  It  was  her  fault  that 
the  horses  had  had  difficulty  in  working  up  the 
Rhine;  it  was  her  fault  that  they  started  so  late 
from  Bingen  ;  in  his  unjust  anger  I  do  not  know 
but  what  he  laid  to  her  charge  the  storm  which  had 
incommoded  him.  According  to  him,  she  had 
arranged  and  prepared  ever3^thing  so  as  to  arrive  at 
the  same  hour  as  he  did.  He  accused  her  of  liking 
to  manceuvre  for  suffrages ;  in  a  word,  he  had  given 
her  the  most  violent,  the  most  unreasonable,  the 
most  unmerited  scene  that  can  be  imagined.  Ah! 
that  old  adage  which  says  that  there  are  no  heroes 
for  valets  de  chambre,  is  truer  than  people  think. 
We  do  not  see  him  so  close  by  as  his  valet  does,  and 
yet  what  littleness  we  daily  discover  in  him !  ^ 

Mayence,  September  16.  —  This  morning  the  pres- 
entations of  the  princes  of  Baden  and  that  of  the 
elector  archchancellor  ^  were  to  take  place.  After 
the  presentation,  these  princes  were  to  ask  permis- 
sion of  the  Empress  to  name  to  her  some  of  the 
officers  of  their  household,  and  a  nephew  of  the  arch- 
chancellor. 

While  receiving  Napoleon's  instructions  on  the 
etiquette  of  this  presentation,  Josephine  asked  what 
was  to  be  done  about  her  son ;  because  it  was  suit- 
able that  he   should   be   presented   to   the    princes. 

1  I  was  the  Emperor's  valet  de  chambre  for  fifteen  years,  and 
I  am  not  of  the  opinion  of  the  autlior  of  the  journal.  — Note  by 
Constant. 

2  Since  Grand  Duke  of  Frankfort. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  301 

Bonaparte,  who  had  not  thought  of  this,  and  who  is 
always  vexed  when  he  is  taken  unawares  on  any  sub- 
ject whatever,  responded  crossly  that  her  son  would 
not  be  presented ;  that  he  saw  no  necessity  for  it. 
Very  kind,  very  easy,  very  feeble  even  in  nearly  all 
circumstances,  Josephine  is  extremely  courageous 
and  firm  in  all  that  concerns  her  children.  She 
represented  to  the  Emperor  that  for  both  herself  and 
him  it  would  be  incongruous  that  the  son  of  the 
Empress  should  be  made  of  no  account;  that  she 
had  never  asked  an3'thing  for  herself;  and  she  had 
the  courage  to  add  that  she  had  not  cried  to  be  a 
princess ;  ^  but  that  as  her  son  was  to  dine  with  her 
in  company  with  the  princes,  he  ought  to  be  pre- 
sented to  them ;  also  that  under  the  old  regime,  if 
M.  de  Beauharnais  (although  not  presented  at  the 
court  of  France)  had  travelled  in  Germany^  he 
would  have  been  admitted  everywhere.  These  last 
words  inflamed  Napoleon's  anger  to  an  excessive 
degree.  He  said  to  her  that  she  was  always  citing 
her  impertinent  old  regime  (that  is  the  expression  he 
used) ;  and  that,  after  all,  her  son  could  not  dine 
with  her  that  evening.^ 

1  This  was  in  allusion  to  the  sisters  of  Bonaparte,  who  had  not 
been  thought  of  when  the  Empire  was  first  created,  and  who  came 
the  next  day  to  torment  their  brother  for  the  titles  they  desired, 
thus  occasioning  many  pleasantries  on  the  subject. 

-  This  ridiculous  scene  shows  to  what  an  extent  Bonaparte  was 
the  slave  of  etiquette  and  miserable  trivialities,  since  on  such  an 
occasion  he  could  allow  himself  to  be  so  far  carried  away  by  anger 
as  to  say  things  to  Josephine  that  were  very  hard  on  both  herself 


802  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

He  went  out  after  these  words,  leaving  Josephine 
very  little  inclined  to  appear  in  the  salon  for  the 
presentation.  During  the  half  hour  she  spent  there, 
while  awaiting  the  princes,  she  was  constantly  wip- 
ing her  eyes,  which  were  still  swollen  with  tears 
when  they  appeared.  While  she  was  having  this 
scene  with  the  Emperor,  M.  de  Talleyrand,  who  was 
entitled  b}^  his  position  to  designate  the  great  officers 
of  the  crown  who  were  to  go  and  meet  the  princes 
at  the  door  of  their  carriages,  and  who  never  neg- 
lects a  chance  to  vex  Josephine,  said  to  her  son  that 
he  was  appointed  to  receive  the  princes.  Eugene, 
who  has  a  perfect  sense  of  decorum,  and  who 
thought  it  ridiculous  that  the  son  of  the  Empress 
should  be  mixed  up  with  the  cortege  of  the  princes 
who  were  to  be  presented  to  her,  replied  with  that 
dignified  simplicity  which  characterizes  him,  that  he 
would  be  there  if  it  were  demonstrated  to  him  that 
he  ought  to  be.  He  came  to  tell  his  mother  of  this 
little  specimen  of  M.  de  Talleyrand's  malevolence, 
and  it  was  agreed  between  them  that  he  should 
not  accompany  the  princes,  but  should  enter  the 
salon  a  little  before  six  o'clock,  when  Josephine 
would  be  there  to  present  him.  It  all  went  off 
very  well  ;  Bonaparte  did  not  enter  the  salon 
until    after    six,    just    as    they    were    about   sitting 


and  her  son.  Yet  he  loved  Prince  Eugfenc  as  much  as  he  was 
capable  of  loving,  and  shortly  after  he  gave  a  proof  of  it,  as  every 
one  knows. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  303 

down  to  table ;  he  did  not  inquire  whether  the 
presentation  had  taken  place ;  his  anger  had  cooled 
down. 

When  there  are  princes  to  dinner,  the  lady  of 
honor  must  be  there  with  one  or  two  ladies  of  the 
jDalace.  I  was  designated  for  to-day.  The  princes 
of  Nassau-Weilbourg,  d'Issembourg,  and  Nassau- 
Usingen  came  to  the  drawing-room  this  evening, 
which  was  very  brilliant. 

Mayence,  September  17.  —  Madame  de  La  Roche- 
foucauld and  I  remarked  a  very  extraordinary  thing 
this  evening,  namel}^,  the  eager  cordiality  of  M.  de 
Caulaincourt  toward  the  princes  of  Baden. ^  He 
thought  it  incumbent  on  him  to  do  them  the  hon- 
ors of  the  salon.  When  I  knew  that  these  princes 
were  to  be  here,  I  "was  very  curious  to  observe  their 
first  interview  with  him.  I  sujoposed  that,  not  hav- 
ing seen  them  since  he  abducted  the  Due  d'Enghien 
from  their  dominions,  and  this  abduction  having  had 
such  fatal  consequences,  he  would,  by  keeping  him- 
self at  a  distance,  and  not  recalling  by  the  sight  of 
him  the  bitter  affront  he  had  offered  them,  silently 
prove  by  his  countenance  that  when  he  executed  this 
order  he  was  far  from  foreseeing  its  horrible  results. 
But  I  was  very  much  deceived ;  he  went  up  to  them 
with  a  gaiety  which  seemed  very  natural.  As  soon 
as  the  princes  arrived,  he  was  at  their  side;  he  took 
absolute   possession  of   them;    it  seemed  as   if  the 

1  See  above  the  editor's  note  on  the  Due  de  Vicenza. 


304  ifEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

acquaintance  he  had  made  with  them  in  so  dismal 
a  manner  ought  to  entitle  him  to  their  good  will. 
This  conduct  confounds  me.     One  must  be  devoid  of 
tact,  of  the  slightest  sentiment  of  what  is  befitting, 
in  order  to  act  thus.     The  father,  who  is  already  old, 
timid,  as  people  are  at  that  age,  alwa3-s  trembling 
lest  he  should  see  the  almighty  hand  of  the  Emperor 
erase  him  from  the  list  of  sovereigns,  displayed  almost 
no  external  sign  on  beholding  M.  de  Caulaincourt; 
the   countenance    of  his    grandson,  ^  the   hereditary 
prince,  who  has  as  yet  no  character,  and,  I  believe, 
very  little  intelligence,  was  no  better  an  indication 
of  what  was  going  on  within;    but  with  regard  to 
Prince  Louis, ^  I  noticed  that  whenever  M.  de  Cau- 
laincourt approached  them,  he  drew  back  behind  his 
father  and  his  nephew,  and  that  as  far  as  possible 
he    avoided    speaking  with  hira;    but   this  reserve 
detracted  nothing  from  M.  de  Caulaincourt's  ease. 
When  I  say  ease,  I  mean  relatively ;  for  no  one  has 
less  than  he.     He  might  be  mistaken  for  a  Prussian 
rather  than  a  French  officer;  even  his  phrases  have  a 
German  turn;  for  in   speaking  to   the   Emperor  or 
the  Empress,  he  never  fails  to  say  i/es,  or  ?io,    Your 
Majesty.     It  is  extraordinary   that  M.  de  Caulain- 


1  Afterwards  Grand  Duke  of  Baden. 

2  We  have  demonstrated  above  that  the  princes  of  Baden  had 
nothing  to  testify  exteriorly  to  M.  do  Caulaincourt,  and  that  the 
latter's  ease  could  astonish  nobody  but  a  person  already  prejudiced 
against  him  by  too  much  confidence  in  an  imputation  materially 
false.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  305 

court,  whose  parents  were  at  court,  should  not  know 
its  usages  better.^ 

September  18. — I  think  the  Emperor  greatly  re- 
sembles the  man  who,  bored  by  the  arguments  which 
a  wise  person  adduced  in  proof  of  his  opinion, 
exclaimed:  ^^JSey!  sir,  I  doii't  ivant  people  to  prove 
things  to  we."  He  was  greatly  tempted  to  say  as 
much  this  evening.  The  prince  archchancellor,  who 
is  specially  gifted  with  that  analytical  spirit  which 
decomposes  an  idea  to  its  utmost  principle,  discussed 
with  him  a  metaphysical  question  of  Kant;  but  the 
Emperor  settled  the  question  by  saying  that  Kant 
was  obscure,  and  that  he  did  not  like  him ;  then  he 
rudely  left  the  prince,  who  came  and  sat  down  near 
me.  For  an  observer,  there  was  a  very  amusing  com- 
bat going  on  between  the  determination  of  the  prince 
courtier  to  admire  everything  in  the  Emperor  and  the 
little  dissatisfaction  at  having  been  cut  short  in  the 
midst  of  his  discussion  on  his  dear  philosopher;  for 
he  is  a  great  partisan  of  Kant.  He  remarked  to  me, 
as  a  general  thesis,  that  people  often  disparage  works 
of  pure  reasoning,  solely  on  account  of  the  trouble 
they  must  take  to  comprehend  them;  tliat  people 
consider  nothing  well  thought  but  what  they  can 


1  Every  one  to  his  trade.  It  was  in  camps  that  M.  de  Caulain- 
court  made  his  apprenticeship  as  a  courtier,  hence  he  might  well 
have  been  less  inured  to  it  than  were  his  parents,  xcho  belonged  to 
the  old  court.  For  the  rest,  we  have  often  heard  quite  different 
things  said,  and  we  have  been  able  to  judge  for  ourselves  of  the 
manners  of  the  Due  de  Viceuza.  —  Note  by  the  editor. 

VOL.    I.  X 


306  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

understand  without  trouble,  but  that  it  is  with  a 
profound  idea  as  it  is  with  water,  the  depth  of  which 
destroys  its  limpidity;  that  nothing  is  easier,  with 
the  help  of  intermediary  ideas,  than  to  elevate  minds 
(even  the  most  mediocre)  to  the  loftiest  concep- 
tions ;  that  nothing  is  required  for  this  but  to  perfect 
analysis  and  to  decompose  a  question;  and  that,  if 
the  foundation  of  it  is  true,  it  can  always  be  reduced 
to  a  single  point.  I  profited  by  his  little  annoy- 
ance with  the  Emperor  (an  annoyance  he  would  not 
have  owned  to  for  all  the  world),  and  found  great 
pleasure  in  chatting  with  him. 

Mayence,  September  19.  —  The  Princess  of  Hesse- 
Darmstadt,  her  son  the  hereditary  prince,  and  the 
young  Princess  Wilhelmine  of  Baden,  whom  he  has 
just  married,  will  arrive  to-morrow.  Josephine  can- 
not conceal  her  lively  curiosity  to  see  this  young 
woman.  M.  de  Talleyrand  used  to  speak  of  her 
to  the  Emperor  as  the  prettiest  person  in  Europe, 
when  he  was  lately  urging  him  to  be  divorced. 
This  evening  I  heard  Josephine  asking  her  brother, 
the  hereditary  prince,  a  multitude  of  questions  about 
his  sister.  One  can  see  that,  although  reassured 
about  the  divorce,  she  would  be  annoyed  if  the  sight 
of  her  could  occasion  the  Emperor  any  regrets. 

September  20.  —  At  last  we  have  seen  this  much 
vaunted  princess !  and  never  was  there  such  a  general 
surprise.  One  cannot  imagine  how  any  charm  could 
be  discovered  in  her.  She  is  of,  I  will  not  say  a 
height,  but  a  length  beyond  measure.     There  is  not 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  307 

the  least  proportion  in  her  figure,  which  is  much  too 
thin,  and  utterly  wanting  in  grace.  Iler  eyes  are 
small,  her  face  long  and  without  expression.  Her 
skin  is  very  white,  with  little  color.  It  is  possible 
that,  in  some  years,  when  she  is  formed,  she  may  be 
a  good  enough  looking  woman,  but  at  present  she  is 
not  at  all  attractive.  I  was  charmed  that  Josephine 
should  have  had  this  little  triumph,  which  she  has 
so  well  enjoyed.  Never,  perhaps,  has  she  displayed 
such  grace  as  she  put  into  this  reception.  As  a  gen- 
eral thing,  one  is  so  benevolent,  so  gracious,  when 
one  is  happy.  One  could  see  that  she  was  delighted 
to  find  the  Princess  so  little  agreeable,  and  so  differ- 
ent from  what  Napoleon  had  been  told.  The  princess- 
mother  must  have  been  charming;  she  has  the  most 
sprightly  and  agreeable  countenance.  She  has  much 
vivacity  and  wit.  She  entirely  governs  her  little 
dominions  and  her  husband.  Her  son,  the  heredi- 
tary prince,  is  very  tall  and  handsome ;  but  I  think 
that  when  one  has  said  that,  one  has  said  all. 

September  21.  —  The  Prince  of  Nassau-Weilbourg 
having  left  his  yacht  here  at  Josephine's  orders  for 
all  the  time  that  she  remains,  we  made  use  of  it  this 
mornino*  to  g-o  and  breakfast  on  an  island  of  the  Rhine, 
near  Mayence,  where  the  elector's  country  seat,  the 
Favorite,  used  to  be.  No  trace  of  it  remains ;  it  has 
been  demolished.  This  island,  as  well  as  the  envi- 
rons of  Mayence,  offers  a  very  sad  picture  of  the  results 
of  war.  Not  a  tree  is  to  be  seen.  When  we  arrived, 
we  found  the  breakfast  ready.     While  we  were  at 


308  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

table,  the  Emperor  perceived  a  poor  woman  who,  not 
daring  to  advance,  was  looking  from  a  distance  at 
this  spectacle  so  new  to  her;  he  sent  her  word  to 
come  near.  When  she  was  close  to  the  table,  he  had 
her  asked  in  German  (for  she  did  not  understand 
French)  if  she  had  ever  dreamed  that  she  was  rich, 
and  if  so,  what  she  had  believed  herself  to  possess. 
The  poor  woman  found  it  difficult  to  understand  this 
question,  and  still  more  so  to  answer  it.  At  last, 
she  said  that  she  thought  a  person  who  had  five  hun- 
dred florins  would  be  the  richest  person  in  the  world. 
"Her  dream  is  a  little  dear,"  said  the  Emperor,  "but 
no  matter,  it  must  be  realized."  At  once  these  gen- 
tlemen took  all  the  money  they  had  with  them,  and 
this  sum  was  counted  out  to  her.  The  astonishment 
and  joy  of  this  woman  was  the  most  touching  thing ; 
her  hands  let  fall  the  gold  pieces  which  they  could 
not  contain;  all  eyes  were  moistened  with  tears  of 
emotion  on  beholding  the  surprise  and  happiness  of 
the  poor  creature.  I  was  looking  at  the  Emperor  at 
this  moment;  I  thought  he  must  be  so  happy!  No, 
his  physiognomy  expressed  nothing,  absolutely  noth- 
ing .  .  .  but  a  little  ill-humor.  "  I  have  asked  the 
same  thing  twice  before,"  said  he,  "but  their  dreams 
were  more  moderate ;  this  good  woman  is  ambitious." 
At  that  moment  he  had  no  other  sensation  than  that 
of  regret  that  she  had  asked  so  much.  How  wretched 
this  man  is !  Of  what  use  is  his  immense  power  to 
him,  if  he  cannot  enjoy  the  happiness  he  might  dif- 
fuse? .  .   .     After  breakfast  we  scattered  around  the 


MEMOIES   OF  CONSTANT  309 


island  for  a  walk.  The  Empress,  accompanied  only 
by  me  and  two  other  persons,  met  a  young  woman 
who  was  suckling  her  infant.  Her  situation  was 
not  fortunate.  Josephine  had  nothing  about  her  but 
five  twenty-franc  pieces ;  she  gave  these  to  the  woman 
without  display,  without  ostentation,  and  a  tear  of 
pity  fell  on  the  infant,  which  she  had  taken  in  her 
arms,  and  which  was  caressing  her  with  its  little 
hands,  as  if  it  felt  the  good  she  had  just  been  doing 
to  its  mother,  and  wished  to  thank  her.  On  our 
return  to  Mayence,  the  Emperor  chatted  a  good  deal, 
or  rather,  he  talked,  because  he  never  chats.  I  shall 
never  forget  while  I  live  the  singular  definition  he 
gave  us  of  happiness  and  unhappiness.  "There  is 
neither  happiness  nor  unhappiness  in  the  world," 
said  he;  "the  only  difference  is  that  the  life  of  a 
happy  man  is  a  picture  with  a  silver  background  and 
some  black  stars,  and  the  life  of  an  unhappy  man  is 
a  black  background  with  some  silver  stars."  If  any 
one  else  comprehends  this  definition,  I  do  not;  and 
I  have  not  the  resource  of  applying  the  precept  of  the 
archchancellor,  who  claims  that  the  most  obscure 
metaphysical  question  (providing  it  rests  upon  a 
true  idea)  may  always  be  understood  by  the  aid  of 
analysis.  Here,  I  decompose,  I  analyze  and  I  find 
.  .   .  zero. 

Mayence,  September  22,  1804.  —  Yesterday,  the 
two  princesses  of  Hesse-Darmstadt,  who  were  to  leave 
Mayence  to-day,  were  at  dinner.  In  the  evening  they 
went  to  the  theatre.     These  ladies  had  no  shawls, 


310  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

and  Josephine,  fearing  lest  they  should  be  cold,  sent 
for  two  to  lend  them.  This  morning,  on  going 
away,  the  princess  mother  wrote  a  very  witty,  very 
amiable  note  to  the  Empress,  to  say  that  they  would 
keep  the  shawls  as  a  souvenir.  The  billet  was  very 
neatly  worded,  but  I  thought  I  saw  that  it  did  not 
console  Josephine  for  the  loss  of  her  two  shawls, 
which  she  thought  the  two  most  beautiful  of  all 
her  white  shawls.  She  would  have  liked  it  better  if 
these  women  had  chosen  others. 

Maj^ence,  September  24.  —  Yesterday,  on  quitting 
the  salon,  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld  and  I  set  off 
for  Frankfort.^ 

We  hoped  that  this  rapid  excursion  might  remain 
unknown  to  the  Emperor.  We  spent  the  morning 
in  visiting  the  city  and  buying  some  English  goods 
which  Josephine  had  asked  us  to  fetch  her;  for  she 
was  in  our  confidence.  We  left  Frankfort  at  three 
in  the  afternoon,  with  the  intention  of  arriving  in 
Mayence  at  six.  Having  been  designated  for  dinner 
yesterda}^,  I  did  not  expect  to  be  so  again  to-da}^,  and 
I  thought  I  should  have  all  the  time  needed  to  rest 
myself,  dress,  and  appear  in  the  salon  at  eight  o'clock. 
As  to  Madame  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  her  health  is  so 
poor  that  she  counted  on  excusing  herself  this  even- 
ing on  the  ground  of  being  indisposed.     But  all  this 

1  At  this  epoch  when  the  Rhine  confederation  was  formed, 
Frankfort  did  not  as  yet  form  part  of  it,  and  Bonaparte  was  very 
ill-disposed  toward  this  city,  which  was  the  general  depot  for 
English  goods. 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  311 

arrangement  was  brought  to  naught,  at  least  so  far  as 
I  was  concerned.  On  arriving,  I  found  a  billet  from 
the  first  chamberlain,  which  designated  me  for  the 
dinner.  It  wanted  ten  minutes  of  six;  at  five  min- 
utes past  six  I  was  at  table.  I  had  tried  to  make  up 
for  the  precipitation  of  my  toilet  by  selecting  a  very 
beautiful  dress.  I  was  felicitating  myself,  while  eat- 
ing my  soup,  on  having  arrived  soon  enough  not  to 
betray  the  secret  of  our  journey,  when  the  Emperor, 
with  a  rather  sarcastic  smile,  said  to  me  that  my  dress 
was  very  fine,  and  asked  whether  I  had  brought  it 
back  from  Frankfort.  There  was  no  way  of  denying 
our  trip;  it  was  necessary  to  laugh  and  make  a  joke 
of  the  affair,  so  that  the  Emperor  should  not  be 
angr^j-,  and  that  is  what  I  did.  He  asked  if  we  had 
brought  much  English  merchandise;  but  as  nothing 
seems  to  have  annoyed  him  to-day,  he  was  only  half 
displeased. 

Mayence,  September  25.  —  The  city  of  Mayence 
gave  a  grand  ball  to  the  Empress  to-day;  but,  being 
very  much  indisposed,  it  seemed  impossible  for  her 
to  attend  it;  she  was  in  her  bed  at  five  o'clock,  per- 
spiring profusely  with  fever.  Napoleon  came  into  her 
room  and  told  her  she  must  get  up  and  go  to  this 
ball.  Josephine  having  explained  to  him  that  she 
was  suffering,  and  the  danger  of  throwing  oft"  her 
coverings,  as  she  had  an  eruption  on  her  skin,  Bon- 
aparte took  her  by  the  arm,  pulled  her  out  of  bed, 
and  forced  her  to  dress.  Madame  de  La  Rochefou- 
cauld, who  witnessed  this  brutal  action,  told  me  of 


312  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

it  with  tears  in  her  eyes ;  Josephine,  with  her  touch- 
ing sweetness  and  submission,  dressed  herself,  and 
appeared  at  the  ball  for  half  an  hour. 

Mayence,  September  26.  — I  suffered  incredibly  on 
hearing  Napoleon  call  the  princesses  of  Nassau,  who 
were  at  the  drawing-room,  mesdemoiselles.  However 
little  attraction  this  court  may  have  for  me,  it  is  none 
the  less  true  that  I  form  part  of  it  at  present ;  and, 
as  a  Frenchwoman,  I  feel  humiliated  that  the  sover- 
eign in  whose  suite  I  find  myself  should  be  so  little 
accustomed  to  the  usages  of  courts.  How  can  he  be 
ignorant  that  princes,  among  themselves,  give  each 
other  their  respective  titles,  without  thereby  derogat- 
ing from  their  authority?  But  Bonaparte  would 
think  he  was  compromising  his  own  entirely  if  he 
did  so.  He  never  fails  to  say  Mr.  Elector  to  the 
prince  archchancellor,  and  mademoiselle  to  all  the 
princesses ;  I  have  seen  more  than  one  slightly  iron- 
ical smile  at  it. 

Mayence,  September  27.  —  The  Empress  crossed 
the  Rhine  this  morning,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Prince 
and  Princess  of  Nassau,  at  the  chateau  of  Biberich, 
near  Mayence.  The  troops  of  the  Prince  were  under 
arms,  all  the  officers  of  his  little  court  in  full  dress. 
A  very  elegant  breakfast  was  served  in  a  hall  from 
which  the  Rhine  could  be  seen  for  a  great  distance, 
affording  a  magnificent  view.  It  is  a  grand  and 
superb  habitation.  On  returning  to  Mayence,  the 
troops  of  the  Prince  accompanied  the  Empress  as  far 
as  the  bank  of  the  Rhine. 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  313 

Mayence,  September  28.  — Napoleon  said  to-day, 
before  forty  persons,  to  Madame  Lorges,  whose  hus- 
band commands  the  division:  "Ah!  Madame,  what 
a  horrible  dress  you  have  on !  it  is  exactly  like  an 
old  curtain.  That's  German  taste,  surely!"  (Ma- 
dame Lorges  is  German.)  I  do  not  know  whether 
the  dress  is  in  German  taste,  but  what  I  do  know  is 
that  this  compliment  Avas  not  in  French  taste. 

Mayence,  September  29.  —  This  evening,  as  I  was 
chatting  with  two  persons  in  a  corner  of  the  salon,  I 
do  not  know  how  the  conversation  led  me  to  mention 
that  Emperor  of  China  who  asked  Confucius  how 
people  talked  about  him  and  his  government.  "  No- 
body talks,"  the  2:)hilosopher  told  him;  "every  one 
keeps  silence."  "That  is  what  I  want,"  replied  the 
Emperor.  Napoleon,  who  was  not  far  from  me,  chat- 
ting with  Prince  d'Issembourg,  turned  round  quickly. 
If  I  live  a  thousand  years,  I  shall  never  forget  the 
threatening  glance  he  darted  at  me.  I  did  not  disturb 
myself  about  it;  I  continued  my  conversation,  and 
added  that  this  Emperor  of  China  resembled  a  good 
many  others,  who  are  like  the  little  owls,  which 
scream  when  a  light  is  brought  to  their  nest.  I  do 
not  know  whether  Napoleon  seized  the  meaning  of 
this  last  phrase,  but  he  probably  felt  that  he  had 
made  a  mistake  in  seeming  to  make  a  personal  appli- 
cation of  this  story  about  the  Chinese  Emperor;  for 
his  countenance  resumed  that  immobility,  that  total 
lack  of  expression  w^hich  he  knows  how  to  give  him- 
self at  will. 


314  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Mayence,  October  1,  1804.  —  We  left  Mayence 
yesterday,  in  order  to  return  to  Paris,  where  we  shall 
be  in  a  few  daj^s.  The  authorities  of  all  the  coun- 
tries we  pass  through  give  themselves  incredible  pains 
to  compose  harangues ;  but,  in  truth,  it  is  lost  labor, 
for  I  notice  that  they  are  all  alike.  From  that  of  the 
mayor  of  a  petty  German  village  to  that  of  the  pres- 
ident of  the  Senate,  they  might  all  be  translated  by 
that  fable  in  which  the  fox  says  to  the  lion : 

"You  honor  them,  my  lord, 
Too  much  in  crunchins:  them." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

Portrait  of  the  Emperor  —  Fleury  and  Michelot  in  the  role  of 
Frederick  the  Great  —  Constant's  Memoirs  consulted  by  authors 
and  artists  —  Bonaparte  on  returning  from  Egypt  —  His  portrait 
by  M.  Horace  Vernet  —  Bonaparte's  forehead  —  His  liair  — 
Color  and  expression  of  his  eyes  —  His  mouth,  lips,  and  teeth 

—  Form  of  his  nose  —  His  entire  figure  —  His  extreme  meagre- 
ness  —  Circumference  and  form  of  his  head  —  Necessity  of 
wadding  and  breaking-in  his  hats  —  Form  of  his  ears  —  Ex- 
cessive delicacy  —  The  Emperor's  figure  —  His  neck  —  His 
shoulders — His  chest  —  His  leg  and  foot  —  His  feet  —  Beauty 
of  his  hand  and  his  coquetry  about  it  — His  habit  of  gnawing 
his  nails  a  little  —  His  stoutness  came  with  the  Empire  — 
The  Emperor's  complexion  —  Singular  tic  —  Remax'kable  pecul- 
iarity about  the  Emperor's  heart  —  Length  of  his  dinner  —  Wise 
precaution  of  Prince  Eugene  —  The  Emperor's  breakfast  —  His 
manner  of  eating  —  Accommodating  guests  —  The  Emperor's 
favorite  dishes  —  Poulet  a  la  Marengo  —  Use  of  coffee  —  Vulgar 
error  on  this  point  —  Conjugal  attention  of  both  empresses 

—  Use  of  wine  —  Anecdote  concerning  Marshal  Augereau  — 
Josephine  and  Constant  the  Emperor's  sick-nurses  —  The 
Emperor  a  bad  invalid — Tenderness,  cares,  and  courage  of 
Josephine  —  The  Emperor's  maladies — Tenacity  of  a  disease 
acquired  at  the  siege  of  Toulon — Colonel  Bonaparte  and  the 
rammer  —  The  Emperor's  wounds  —  The  bayonet  thrust  and 
the  ball  of  the  Tyrolese  rifleman  —  Repugnance  for  medicines 

—  Precaution  recommended  by  Doctor  Corvisart  —  The  Em- 
peror's hour  for  rising  —  His  familiarity  with  Constant  —  Con- 
versations with  Doctors  Corvisart  and  Ivan  —  Tea  on  rising — 
The  Emperor's  bath  —  Reading  the  journals  —  First  task  with 
the  secretary  —  Winter  and  summer  dressing-gowns  —  Night 
and  bathing  caps  —  The  ceremony  of  shaving  —  Ablution,  fric- 
tions, toilet,  etc. — Costume — Napoleon  born  to  have  valets 
de  chambre  —  The  toilet  of  etiquette  not  re-established  —  The 

316 


316  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

Emperor's  hour  for  going  to  bed  —  His  expeditious  manner  of 
undressing  —  How  he  called  Constant  —  The  warming-pan  — 
The  night  lamp — The  Empress  Josephine  his  favorite  reader 
—  The  perfume  burners  —  Napoleon  very  sensitive  to  cold — 
His  passion  for  the  bath  —  Night  work  —  Beverages  of  the  Em- 
peror during  the  night — Excessive  economy  of  the  Emperor  in 
his  family  —  Constant's  New  Year's  gifts  —  Ear-pinching  —  Im- 
perial caresses  and  familiarities  —  Prince  de  Neufchatel. 

"VTOTHING  is  to  be  contemned  in  what  relates  to 
-^^  great  men.  Posterity  sllo^YS  itself  eager  to 
know  their  manner  of  life  in  its  most  minute  cir- 
cumstances, their  inclinations,  their  slightest  habits. 
Whenever  I  happened  to  go  to  the  theatre,  either  in 
my  brief  moments  of  leisure,  or  in  the  suite  of  His 
Majesty,  I  remarked  how  much  the  spectators  liked 
to  see  some  great  historical  person  represented  on  the 
stage  with  his  costume,  his  gestures,  his  attitudes, 
and  even  his  infirmities  and  his  defects,  such  as  they 
have  been  transmitted  in  the  descriptions  of  his 
contemporaries.  I  have  myself  always  taken  the 
greatest  pleasure  in  seeing  these  living  portraits  of 
celebrated  men.  I  remember  very  well  that  I  never 
enjoyed  the  theatre  so  much  as  on  the  day  when  I 
saw  played  for  the  first  time  that  charming  piece, 
the  Two  Pages,  Fleury,  who  took  the  part  of  Fred- 
erick the  Great,  rendered  so  perfectly  the  slow  gait, 
the  abrupt  speech,  the  brusque  movements,  and  even 
the  shortsightedness  of  that  monarch,  that  from  the 
time  when  he  came  on  the  stage,  the  whole  theatre 
resounded  with  applause.  According  to  the  opinion 
of  people  who  were  qualified  to  judge,  it  was  the 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  317 

most  perfect  and  most  faithful  imitation.  For  me, 
I  could  not  say  whether  the  resemblance  was  exact, 
but  I  felt  that  necessarily  it  must  be.  Michelot, 
whom  I  have  since  seen  in  the  same  part,  has  given 
me  no  less  pleasure  than  his  predecessor.  No  doubt 
these  two  clever  actors  must  have  drawn  from  good 
sources  in  order  to  know  and  reproduce  in  this  way 
the  manners  of  their  model.  I  confess  that  I  experi- 
ence some  pride  in  thinking  that  these  Memoirs  may 
impart  to  their  readers  something  similar  to  the 
pleasure  I  have  here  essayed  to  describe ;  and  that, 
in  a  doubtless  remote  future,  yet  one  which  cannot 
fail  to  arrive,  the  artist  who  shall  seek  to  revivify 
and  present  before  spectators  the  greatest  man  of  the 
age,  will  be  obliged,  if  he  desires  to  be  a  faithful 
imitator,  to  rule  himself  in  accordance  with  the  por- 
trait which  I,  better  than  any  one  else,  can  delineate 
from  nature.  I  think,  moreover,  that  no  one  has 
done  it  as  yet,  at  least  with  so  much  detail. 

On  his  return  from  Eg}^Dt,  the  Emperor  was  very 
meagre  and  very  yellow,  his  complexion  coppery,  his 
eyes  sunken,  his  shape  perfect  although  rather  slen- 
der then.  I  think  the  portrait  made  by  M.  Horace 
Vernet  in  his  picture,  Une  revue  du  'premier  consul 
sur  la  place  du  Carrousel,  is  very  like  him.  His 
forehead  was  very  high  and  open ;  he  had  not  much 
hair,  especially  on  tlie  temples,  but  it  was  very  fine 
and  soft.  It  was  of  a  chestnut  color,  and  his  eyes 
were  a  beautiful  blue,  which  depicted  in  an  incred- 
ible manner  the  different  emotions  which  agitated 


318  MEMOIRS   OF  COIiSTANT 

him,  sometimes  extremely  soft  and  caressing,  and 
again  severe  and  hard.  His  mouth  was  very  beau- 
tiful, the  lips  smooth  and  somewhat  contracted, 
especially  in  ill-humor.  His  teeth,  without  being 
very  regular,  were  very  white  and  very  good;  he 
never  complained  of  them.  His  nose,  Grecian  in 
form,  was  irreproachable,  and  his  sense  of  smell 
exceedingly  keen.  In  fine,  the  ensemble  of  his  face 
was  regularly  handsome.  Nevertheless,  at  this  epoch 
his  extreme  meagreness  prevented  his  beauty  of  feat- 
ure from  being  discerned,  and  gave  his  whole  physi- 
ognomy a  somewhat  disagreeable  effect.  It  would 
have  been  necessary  to  go  over  his  features  one  by 
one  and  then  recombine  them  in  order  to  comprehend 
the  perfect  regularity  and  beauty  of  all.  His  head 
was  large,  being  twenty-two  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence; it  was  a  little  longer  than  it  was  wide,  and 
consequently  a  trifle  flattened  on  the  temples ;  it  was 
extremel}'  sensitive,  so  that  I  had  to  wad  his  hats, 
and  I  took  care  to  Avear  them  several  days  in  my  own 
room,  so  as  to  break  them  in.  His  ears  were  small, 
perfectly  shaped,  and  well  placed.  The  Emperor's 
feet  were  also  extremely  sensitive ;  I  had  his  shoes 
worn  by  a  wardrobe  boy  named  Joseph,  whose  foot 
was  just  like  that  of  the  Emperor. 

His  figure  was  five  feet  two  inches  three  lines  in 
height ;  his  neck  was  rather  short,  his  shoulders 
thrown  back,  his  chest  large  and  very  slightly  hairy, 
and  his  thigh  and  leg  well  moulded ;  his  foot  was 
small,  with  regular  toes,  and  completely  exempt  from 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  319 

corns  and  callosities.  Ilis  arras  were  well  made  and 
well  attached ;  his  hands  admirable,  and  his  nails  did 
not  disfigure  them ;  hence  he  was  very  careful  of 
them,  as  indeed  of  his  entire  person,  but  without 
being  finical.  He  often  bit  his  nails,  but  lightly ; 
this  was  a  sign  of  impatience  or  preoccupation. 

Later  he  put  on  a  good  deal  of  flesh,  but  without 
losing  the  beauty  of  his  figure ;  on  the  contrary, 
he  looked  better  under  the  Empire  than  under  the 
Consulate  ;  his  skin  became  very  white  and  his  color 
animated. 

In  his  moments,  or  rather  in  his  long  hours  of 
work  and  meditation,  the  Eraperor  had  a  particular 
tic  which  seemed  to  be  a  nervous  movement,  and 
which  he  retained  throughout  his  life ;  it  consisted 
in  a  frequent  and  rapid  elevation  of  the  right  shoul- 
der, which  persons  who  did  not  know  this  habit  some- 
times construed  into  a  gesture  of  discontent  and  dis- 
approbation, and  began  anxiously  to  wonder  how 
and  in  what  they  could  have  displeased  him.  He 
never  thought  of  it  for  his  own  part,  and  kept  on 
repeating  the  same  movement  without  being  aware 
of  it. 

A  very  remarkable  peculiarity  is  that  the  Emperor 
never  felt  his  heart  beat.  He  has  often  said  so  both 
to  M.  Corvisart  and  to  me,  and  more  than  once  he 
had  us  pass  our  hands  over  his  breast,  so  that  we 
could  make  trial  of  this  singular  exception  ;  we  never 
felt  any  pulsation. 

The  Emperor  ate  very  fast ;  he  scarcely  remained 


320  ME3I0IRS   OF  COA'STANT 

a  dozen  minutes  at  table.  When  he  had  finished 
dining,  he  rose  and  went  into  the  family  sitting-room ; 
but  the  Empress  Josephine  remained,  and  signalled 
the  guests  to  do  likewise  ;  sometimes,  however,  she 
followed  His  Majesty,  and  then  the  ladies  of  the  pal- 
ace doubtless  indemnified  themselves  in  their  apart- 
ments, where  they  were  served  with  whatever  they 
desired. 

One  day  when  Prince  Eugene  rose  from  the  table 
immediately  after  the  Emperor,  the  latter  turned  and 
said :  "  But  you  have  not  had  time  to  dine,  Eugene  ?  " 
"  Pardon  me,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  I  dined  before- 
hand." The  other  guests  probably  thought  it  was 
not  a  useless  precaution.  It  was  before  the  Consulate 
that  things  took  place  in  this  way;  for  afterwards 
the  Emperor,  even  while  he  was  only  first  consul, 
dined  tete-a-tete  with  the  Empress,  unless  he  invited 
some  member  of  his  household  to  his  table,  sometimes 
one  and  sometimes  another,  and  all  received  this 
favor  with  joy.     He  had  already  a  court  at  this  epoch. 

Most  frequently,  the  Emperor  breakfasted  alone, 
on  a  round  mahogany  stand,  and  without  a  napkin. 
This  repast,  still  shorter  than  the  other,  lasted  from 
eight  to  ten  minutes. 

I  shall  say  presently  what  disastrous  effects  this 
bad  habit  of  eating  quickly  often  produced  upon  the 
Emperor's  health.  In  addition  to  this  habit  and  even 
as  a  first  result  of  his  haste,  the  Emperor  by  no  means 
ate  in  a  cleanly  manner.  He  preferred  to  use  his 
fingers  instead  of  a  fork,  or  even  a  spoon ;  we  were 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  321 

careful  to  put  the  dish  he  liked  Lest  within  his 
reach.  He  drew  it  to  him,  in  tlie  fashion  I  have 
just  described,  dipping  his  bread  in  the  sauce  and 
and  the  gravy,  —  which  did  not  prevent  the  dish  from 
circulating  ;  any  one  ate  of  it  who  could,  and  there 
were  few  guests  who  could  not.  I  have  even  seen 
some  who  seemed  to  consider  this  singular  act  of 
courage  as  a  means  of  making  their  court.  I  am  will- 
inof  to  believe  also  that  in  several  their  admiration  for 
His  Majesty  silenced  all  repugnance,  just  as  one  does 
not  scruple  to  eat  from  the  plate  and  drink  from  the 
glass  of  a  person  one  loves,  even  were  it  not  wholly 
immaculate  as  to  cleanliness ;  which  one  does  not  see, 
because  passion  is  blind. 

The  dish  the  Emperor  liked  best  was  that  species 
of  chicken  fricassee  which  has  been  called  poulet  d 
la  3Iarengo  on  account  of  this  preference  of  the  con- 
queror of  Italy.  He  also  liked  to  eat  beans,  lentils, 
roast  breast  of  mutton,  and  roast  chicken.  The  sim- 
plest dishes  were  those  he  preferred  ;  but  he  was  not 
easy  to  please  in  the  quality  of  his  bread.  It  is  not 
true  that  the  Emperor  made,  as  has  been  affirmed,  an 
immoderate  use  of  coffee.  He  took  merely  half  a  cup 
after  his  breakfast  and  another  after  his  dinner.  Still 
it  sometimes  happened,  when  he  was  preoccupied, 
that  he  took  two  cups  in  succession  without  noticing 
it.  But  coffee,  drunk  in  such  a  quantity,  disturbed 
and  prevented  the  Emperor  from  sleeping.  Often, 
too,  he  would  chance  to  take  it  cold,  or  without 
sugar,  or  with  too  much.     To  remedy  these  incon- 

VOL.  I.  — T 


322  3fEM0IES   OF  CONSTANT 

veniences,  the  Empress  Josephine  took  charge  of 
pouring  the  Emperor  his  coffee,  and  the  Empress 
Marie-Louise  likewise  adopted  this  custom.  When 
the  Emperor  rose  from  table  and  passed  into  the  lit- 
tle salon,  a  page  followed  him,  carrying  a  silver-gilt 
tray  on  which  were  a  coffee-pot,  a  sugar-bowl,  and  a 
cup.  Her  ]\Iajesty  the  Empress  poured  the  coffee 
herself,  sugared  it,  swallowed  a  few  drops  to  taste 
it,  and  offered  it  to  the  Emperor. 

The  Emperor  drank  nothing  but  Chambertin,  and 
rarely  pure.  He  did  not  like  wine  much,  and  was 
no  judge  of  it.  That  reminds  me  that  one  day  at 
the  camp  of  Boulogne,  having  invited  several  officers 
to  his  table.  His  Majesty  sent  soine  of  his  wine  to 
Marshal  Augereau,  and  asked  him  with  a  certain  air 
of  satisfaction  how  he  found  it.  The  INfarshal  tasted 
it  for  awhile,  clacking  his  tongue  against  the  roof  of 
his  mouth,  and  ended  by  saying :  "  There  is  some 
that  is  better,'^  in  not  the  most  insinuating  tone. 
The  Emperor,  although  he  had  expected  a  different 
reply,  smiled,  like  the  rest  of  the  guests,  at  the 
Marshal's  frankness. 

Everybody  must  have  heard  that  His  Majesty  took 
the  greatest  precautions  against  being  poisoned. 
That  is  a  story  to  be  put  along  with  that  of  the  ball- 
and-poniard-proof  cuirass.  On  the  contrary,  the 
Emperor  pushed  his  confidence  much  too  far:  his 
breakfast  was  brought  every  day  into  an  antecham- 
ber open  to  all  to  whom  he  had  accorded  a  private 
audience,   and   they  were  sometimes   waiting   there 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  323 

for  hours  together.  His  Majesty's  breakfast  also 
waited  for  a  long  time ;  the  dishes  were  kept  as 
warm  as  possible  until  he  came  out  of  his  cabinet  to 
sit  down  at  table.  Their  Majesties'  dinner  was  car- 
ried from  the  kitchen  to  the  upper  apartments  in 
covered  baskets ;  but  it  would  not  have  been  diffi- 
cult to  slip  poison  into  them ;  nevertheless  no  at- 
tempt of  the  kind  ever  occurred  to  the  minds  of  the 
servants,  whose  devotion  and  fidelity  to  the  Emperor, 
even  that  of  the  lowest  of  them,  surpassed  all  I 
could  say  about  it. 

The  habit  of  eating  precipitately  often  occasioned 
the  Emperor  violent  pains  in  the  stomach,  which 
nearly  always  ended  in  vomiting.  One  day,  one  of 
the  valets  on  duty  came  in  a  great  hurry  to  notify 
me  that  the  Emperor  was  urgently  calling  for  me  ; 
that  his  dinner  had  disagreed  with  him  and  he  was 
suffering  very  much.  I  ran  to  His  Majesty's  cham- 
ber and  found  him  stretched  at  full  length  on  the 
carpet ;  it  was  his  habit  when  he  felt  indisposed. 
The  Empress  Josephine  was  sitting  beside  him,  with 
his  head  upon  her  lap.  He  whined  and  stormed  by 
turns,  for  the  Emperor  supported  this  sort  of  pain 
worse  than  the  thousand  more  serious  accidents  inci- 
dent to  camp  life ;  and  the  hero  of  Areola,  whose 
life  had  been  risked  in  a  hundred  battles,  and  else- 
where than  in  combats,  without  his  courage  being 
taken  unawares,  showed  himself  more  than  effemi- 
nate for  a  trifling  hurt,  a  bobo.  Her  Majesty  the 
Empress  was  consoling  and  encouraging  him  as  best 


324  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

she  could ;  courageous  herself  when  suffering  from 
headaches  so  violent  as  to  amount  to  real  illness, 
she  would  willingly,  had  that  been  possible,  have 
assumed  her  husband's  malady,  the  sight  of  which 
perhaps  made  her  suffer  more  than  he  did.  "  Con- 
stant," she  said  as  soon  as  I  entered,  "  come  quickly, 
the  Emperor  needs  you ;  make  him  some  tea  and  do 
not  leave  him  until  he  is  better."  His  Majesty  had 
hardly  taken  three  cups  when  his  pain  diminished; 
he  still  kept  his  head  on  the  knees  of  the  Empress, 
who  caressed  his  forehead  with  her  white,  plump 
hand,  and  also  rubbed  his  chest.  "  Do  you  feel  bet- 
ter? Will  you  lie  down  a  little?  I  will  stay  by 
your  bed  with  Constant."  Was  not  this  tenderness 
very  touching?  especially  in  so  lofty  a  rank?  The 
nature  of  my  duties  often  gave  me  opportunities  of 
enjoying  this  picture  of  happy  family  life. 

While  I  am  on  the  subject  of  the  Emperor's  mala- 
dies, I  will  say  a  few  words  of  his  most  serious  one, 
if  we  except  that  which  caused  his  death. 

At  the  siege  of  Toulon,  in  1793,  when  the  Emperor 
was  still  only  a  colonel  of  artillery,  a  gunner  was 
killed  at  his  piece.  Colonel  Bonaparte  seized  the 
rammer  and  fired  several  discharges  himself.  The  un- 
fortunate artillery-man  had,  or  rather  had  had,  an  itch 
of  the  most  malignant  description,  and  the  Emperor 
was  infected  by  it.  It  was  years  before  he  could  be 
cured,  and  the  doctors  thought  that  this  badly 
treated  malady  Avas  the  cause  of  the  extreme  meagre- 
ness  and  the  bilious  hue  which  he  long  retained.     At 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  326 


the  Tuileiies  he  used  sulphur  baths,  and  for  some 
time  wore  a  blister.  Until  then  he  had  always 
refused,  saying  that  he  had  no  time  to  nurse  himself. 
M.  Corvisart  had  strongly  insisted  on  a  cautery. 
But  the  Emperor,  who  was  bent  on  preserving  the 
shape  of  his  arm  intact,  declined  this  remedy. 

It  was  at  the  same  siege  that  he  had  been  pro- 
moted from  the  rank  of  chief  of  battalion  to  that  of 
colonel,  at  the  close  of  a  brilliant  affair  against  the 
English,  in  which  he  had  received  a  baj^onet  thrust 
in  his  right  thigh,  tlie  scar  of  which  he  often  showed 
me.  The  w^ound  he  received  in  the  foot  at  the 
battle  of  Ratisbonne  left  no  trace,  and  yet  when  the 
Emperor  got  it  the  whole  army  was  alarmed. 

We  were  about  twelve  hundred  feet  from  Ratis- 
bonne, when  the  Emperor,  seeing  the  Austrians  flying 
in  all  directions,  thought  the  affair  was  ended.  His 
canteen  breakfast  had  been  made  ready  in  the  place 
the  Emperor  had  designated.  He  Avas  walking 
toward  this  spot,  when,  turning  to  Marshal  Berthier, 
he  exclaimed:  "I  am  wounded."  The  blow  had 
been  so  forcible  that  the  Emperor  had  fallen  into  a 
sitting  posture ;  he  had,  in  fact,  just  received  a  ball 
in  the  heel.  The  calibre  of  this  ball  showed  that  it 
had  been  fired  by  a  Tyrolese  rifleman,  whose  weapon 
usually  carries  as  far  as  we  were  from  the  city.  It 
may  readily  be  believed  that  such  an  event  soon 
spread  trouble  and  alarm  throughout  the  staff.  An 
aide-de-camp  came  to  look  for  me,  and  when  I 
arrived,   I   found  M.  Ivan   engaged    in  cutting  off 


326  MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT 

His  Majesty's  boot,  and  I  assisted  in  dressing  the 
wound. 

Although  the  pain  was  still  very  keen,  the  Emperor 
would  not  even  wait  to  have  his  boot  put  on  again, 
but  to  give  the  enemy  his  change  and  reassure  the 
army,  he  mounted  a  horse  and  set  off  at  a  gallop, 
with  all  his  staff,  and  went  through  all  the  lines. 
On  that  day,  as  one  may  imagine,  nobody  break- 
fasted, and  everybody  went  to  Ratisbonne  for  dinner. 

His  Majesty  had  an  invincible  repugnance  for  all 
medicaments,  and  when  he  took  any,  which  very 
seldom  happened,  it  was  some  broth  of  chicken  or 
of  chicory,  and  salts  of  tartar.  M.  Corvisart  had 
advised  him  to  reject  any  drink  which  had  an  acrid 
and  disagreeable  taste ;  I  think  it  was  through  fear 
that  some  one  might  try  to  poison  him. 

No  matter  at  what  hour  the  Emperor  might  have 
gone  to  bed,  I  entered  his  chamber  between  seven 
and  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I  have  said 
already  that  his  first  questions  invariably  related  to 
the  time  and  the  weather.  Sometimes  he  complained 
to  me  of  looking  badly.  When  that  was  true,  I 
agreed  to  it,  as  I  said  no  when  I  did  not  think  so. 
In  this  case  he  would  pull  my  ears,  call  me  laugh- 
ingly a  great  stupid,  ask  for  a  mirror,  and  often  own 
that  he  had  wanted  to  deceive  me,  and  that  he  was 
very  well.  He  took  his  newspapers,  asked  the  names 
of  those  who  were  in  the  waiting-room,  said  whom  he 
would  see,  and  chatted  with  one  or  another.  When 
M.  Corvisart  came,  he  entered  without  waiting  for 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  327 

an  order.  The  Emperor  liked  to  tease  him  by  talk- 
ing about  medicine,  saying  tliat  it  was  only  a  con- 
jectural art,  that  doctors  were  charlatans,  and  giving 
proofs  of  this,  especially  from  his  own  experience. 
The  doctor  never  gave  in  when  he  believed  himself 
in  the  right. 

During  these  conversations  the  Emperor  was  shav- 
ing himself,  for  I  had  at  last  succeeded  in  inducing 
him  to  take  this  matter  solely  into  his  own  hands. 
He  often  forgot  that  he  had  shaved  only  one  side. 
I  apprised  him  of  it;  he  Avould  laugh  and  finish 
his  work.  M.  Ivan,  ordinary  surgeon,  had,  like  M. 
Corvisart,  his  full  share  of  criticisms  and  hard  say- 
ings against  his  art.  These  discussions  were  most 
amusing ;  the  Emperor  at  such  times  was  very  gay 
and  talkative,  and  I  think  that  when  he  had  no  con- 
venient example  to  cite  in  support  of  his  arguments, 
he  did  not  scruple  to  invent  one.  Nor  did  these 
gentlemen  believe  themselves  always  on  their  parole. 
One  day.  His  Majesty,  following  his  singular  habit, 
took  the  notion  to  pull  the  ears  of  one  of  his 
physicians  (M.  Hall^,  I  think).  The  physician  drew 
back  quickly,  exclaiming :  "  Sire,  you  hurt  me ! " 
Perhaps  the  remark  was  seasoned  with  a  spice  of  ill- 
humor,  and  perhaps  also  the  doctor  was  right.  How- 
ever that  might  be,  his  ears  were  never  in  danger 
from  that  day. 

Sometimes,  before  my  duties  began.  His  Majesty 
would  question  me  on  what  I  had  done  the  day 
before.     He  would  ask  if  I  had  dined  in  the  city, 


328  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

and  with  whom,  if  they  had  received  me  well,  and  ' 
what  we  had  for  dinner.  Sometimes,  too,  he  wanted 
to  know  what  such  or  such  a  part  of  my  clothes  cost 
me.  I  would  tell  him,  and  then  the  Emperor  would 
exclaim  at  the  price,  and  say  that,  wlien  he  was  a  sub- 
lieutenant, everything  was  a  good  deal  cheaper,  and 
that  he  had  often  dined  at  Rose's,  a  restaurant  keeper 
of  that  day,  and  that  he  dined  there  very  well  for 
forty  sous.  Several  times  he  talked  to  me  about  my 
family,  of  my  sister,  who  was  a  nun  before  the 
Revolution,  and  who  had  been  forced  to  leave  her 
convent.  One  day  he  asked  me  if  she  had  a  pension, 
and  how  much  it  was.  I  told  him,  and  added  that 
it  was  not  sufficient  for  her  needs,  and  that  I  gave 
her  a  pension  myself,  and  to  my  mother  also.  His 
Majesty  told  me  to  address  myself  to  the  Due  de 
Bassano,  that  he  might  make  his  report  on  the  sub- 
ject, as  he  wished  to  benefit  my  family.  I  did  not 
profit  by  this  good  intention  of  His  Majesty ;  for  at 
that  time  I  was  so  happy  as  to  be  able  to  aid  ray 
relatives.  I  did  not  think  of  the  future,  which  it 
seemed  to  me  could  change  nothing  in  my  lot,  and 
I  scrupled  at  putting  my  family,  so  to  say,  at  the 
expense  of  the  State.  I  own  that  I  have  since  been 
more  than  once  disposed  to  repent  of  this  excess  of 
delicacy,  the  example  of  which  I  have  seen  few  per- 
sons, whether  above  or  below  my  position,  willing 
either  to  give  or  take. 

On  rising,  tlie  Emperor  usually  took  a  cup  of  tea 
or   of   orange-water ;    if   he    took    a    bath,    it    was 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  329 

immediately  on  leaving  liis  bed,  and  while  in  it  he 
had  his  despatches  and  journals  read  to  him  by  a 
secretary  (by  M.  de  Bourrienne  until  1804)  ;  Avhen  he 
did  not  take  a  bath,  he  sat  down  by  the  fire  for  the 
same  purpose,  unless  he  read  his  papers  liimself,  as 
he  often  did.  He  dictated  to  his  secretary  his  re- 
sponses and  the  observations  suggested  to  him  by 
what  he  saw  in  the  journals.  As  fast  as  he  ran 
through  them,  he  threw  them  on  the  floor  in  a  dis- 
orderly heap.  The  secretary  afterwards  gathered 
them  up,  put  them  in  order,  and  carried  them  into 
the  private  cabinet. 

Before  making  his  toilet.  His  Majesty  put  on  in 
summer  a  pair  of  white  piqud  trousers  and  a  white 
dressing-gown  of  the  same  material ;  in  winter  these 
were  replaced  by  others  of  a  soft  woollen  goods 
called  moUeton.  On  his  head  he  wore  a  bandana 
handkerchief,  knotted  over  the  forehead,  the  two 
ends  of  which  fell  down  to  his  neck  behind.  The 
Emperor  himself  put  on  this  elegant  coiffure  in  the 
evening.  When  he  left  the  bath,  another  bandana 
was  handed  him,  because  that  he  had  on  was  always 
wet,  as  he  was  constantly  turning  in  the  water.  The 
bath  over  or  the  despatches  read,  he  began  his  toi- 
let. I  shaved  him  before  I  had  taught  him  to  shave 
himself.  Wlien  the  Emperor  first  acquired  this  habit, 
he  availed  himself,  like  everybody  else,  of  a  mirror 
attached  to  the  window  ;  but  he  came  so  near  it,  and 
besmeared  himself  so  recklessly  with  soap,  that  the 
glass,  the  window  panes,  the  curtains,  and  his  own 


330  MEMOmS   OF  CONSTANT 

dress  were  covered  with  it.  To  remedy  this  incon- 
venience, a  council  of  attendants  was  summoned,  and 
it  was  resolved  that  Roustan  should  hold  the  mirror 
for  His  Majesty-  When  the  Emperor  had  shaved 
one  side,  he  turned  the  other  to  the  light  and  made 
Roustan  go  from  left  to  right  or  from  right  to  left, 
accordinof  to  the  side  on  which  he  had  beo'un.  The 
toilet-table  was  transferred  in  like  manner.  His 
shaving  over,  the  Emperor  washed  his  face  and  hands, 
and  carefully  attended  to  his  nails  ;  afterwards  I  took 
off  his  flannel  waistcoat  and  his  shirt,  and  rubbed  the 
whole  chest  with  an  extremely  soft  silk  brush.  I 
rubbed  him  afterwards  with  Cologne  water,  a  great 
deal  of  which  he  consumed  in  this  manner;  for  he 
was  brushed  and  arranged  in  this  way  every  day.  It 
was  in  the  Orient  that  he  had  acquired  this  hygienic 
habit,  which  he  found  very  good,  and  which  is,  in 
fact,  excellent.  All  these  preparatives  being  termi- 
nated, I  put  a  pair  of  light  flannel  or  cashmere  socks 
on  his  feet,  and  over  them  white  silk  stockings  (he 
never  wore  any  others),  drawers  of  very  fine  linen  or 
twilled  cotton,  and  sometimes  of  white  cashmere  with 
soft  riding-boots,  and  sometimes  tights  of  the  same 
stuff  and  color,  with  little  English  boots  which 
reached  to  the  middle  of  his  calf.  They  were  pro- 
vided with  small  silver  spurs,  not  more  than  six  lines 
long.  All  his  boots  were  spurred  in  this  way.  Then 
I  put  on  his  flannel  waistcoat  and  his  shirt,  a  very 
fine  muslin  cravat,  and  above  it  a  black  silk  stock ; 
finally  a  short  vest  of  white  piqu*^,  and  either  a  riding- 


MEJilOIES  OF  CONSTANT  331 

coat  or  that  of  a  grenadier,  but  more  frequently  the 
former.  His  toilet  finished,  his  handkerchief,  his 
snuffbox,  and  a  little  shell  box  filled  with  licorice 
flavored  with  aniseed  and  cut  very  fine,  were  handed 
to  him.  It  is  plain,  from  all  this,  that  the  Emperor 
had  himself  dressed  from  head  to  foot;  he  never  put 
a  hand  to  anything,  but  let  himself  be  treated  like  a 
child,  and  during  this  process  he  occupied  himself 
with  his  affairs. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  for  his  teeth  he  used  a  wooden 
toothpick  and  a  brush  dipped  in  an  opiate. 

The  Emperor  was  born,  one  might  say,  to  be 
waited  on  by  valets  de  chambre.  While  yet  a  general 
he  had  three,  and  he  was  served  with  as  much  luxury 
as  when  in  the  highest  station ;  from  that  period  he 
received  all  the  attentions  which  I  have  just  described, 
and  which  it  was  almost  impossible  for  him  to  dispense 
with.  Etiquette  changed  nothing  in  this  respect ;  it 
augmented  the  number  of  his  attendants,  decorated 
them  with  new  titles,  but  it  could  not  surround  him 
with  more  attentions.  He  very  rarely  submitted  to 
the  grand  etiquette  of  royalty;  never,  for  example, 
did  the  grand  chamberlain  put  on  his  shirt  for  him ; 
once  onl}^,  at  the  repast  which  the  city  of  Paris 
offered  him  at  the  time  of  his  coronation,  the 
grand  marshal  held  the  basin  for  him  to  wash  his 
hands.  I  shall  describe  his  toilet  on  the  corona- 
tion day,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  even  then  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  the  French  required  no 
other  ceremonial  than  that  to  which  General  Bona- 


332  MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT 

parte  and  the  First  Consul  of  the  Republic  had  been 
accustomed. 

The  Emperor  had  no  fixed  hour  for  retiring;  some- 
times he  went  to  bed  at  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  but  more  frequently  he  sat  up  until  two, 
three,  or  four  in  the  morning.  He  was  veiy  quickly 
undressed,  for  it  was  his  habit,  on  entering  his  cham- 
ber, to  throw  each  piece  of  his  apparel  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  his  coat  on  the  floor,  his  grand  cordon  on  the 
carpet,  his  watch  flying  on  the  bed,  his  hat  to  a  dis- 
tance on  a  chair,  and  thus  with  all  his  garments,  one 
after  another.  When  he  was  in  a  good  humor  he 
called  me  in  a  loud  voice  with  this  sort  of  cry:  "  Ohe  ! 
oh!  oh!^^  At  other  times,  when  he  was  dissatisfied, 
it  was:  '■'■  Monsieur !  Monsieur  Constant!''''  At  all 
seasons  it  was  necessary  to  Avarm  his  bed ;  he  never 
dispensed  with  this  except  in  the  greatest  heats.  His 
habit  of  undressing  liimsclf  in  haste  sometimes  gave 
me  nothing  to  do  on  coming  in  but  to  present  him 
with  his  bandana;  afterwards  I  lighted  his  night 
lamp,  which  was  in  silver-gilt,  and  shaded,  so  as  to 
give  less  light.  When  he  did  not  go  to  sleep  at  once, 
he  had  one  of  his  secretaries  called,  or  else  the  Em- 
press Josephine,  to  read  to  him ;  no  one  could  per- 
form this  office  better  than  Her  Majesty,  and  the 
Emperor  preferred  her  to  any  otlier  reader ;  she  read 
with  that  especial  charm  wliich  blended  with  all  her 
actions.  By  the  Emperor's  orders,  we  burned  in  his 
chamber,  in  little  silver-gilt  vessels,  either  aloo-wood 
or  else  sugar  or  vinegar.     It  was  necessary  to  have 


MEMOIRS  OF  CONSTANT  333 

fire  in  all  his  apartments  nearly  all  the  year;  he 
was  habitually  very  sensitive  to  cold.  When  he 
was  ready  to  sleep,  I  re-entered,  took  his  light,  and 
went  lip  to  my  own  room,  which  was  directly  above 
that  of  His  ^Majesty.  Roustan  and  a  valet  de  chambre 
on  duty  slept  in  the  little  salon  adjoining  the  Em- 
peror's chamber.  If  he  needed  me  in  the  night,  a 
wardrobe  boy,  who  slept  close  by,  in  the  antechamber, 
came  to  look  for  me.  Day  and  night  water  was  kept 
hot  for  his  bath ;  for  often,  at  any  hour  of  the  day  or 
night,  he  took  a  notion  to  have  one.  M.  Ivan  made 
his  appearance  every  night  and  morning  at  the 
couchee  and  levee  of  His  Majesty. 

It  is  known  that  the  Emperor  often  had  his  secre- 
taries and  even  his  ministers  summoned  during  the 
night.  During  his  stay  in  Warsaw,  in  1806,  Prince 
de  Talleyrand  once  received  a  message  after  mid- 
night ;  he  came  at  once  and  talked  for  a  long  time 
with  the  Emperor ;  the  work  was  prolonged  far  into 
the  night,  and  His  Majesty,  fatigued,  at  last  fell  into 
a  profound  sleep.  The  Prince  de  Benevento,  who 
feared  that  if  he  went  out  he  would  awaken  the 
Emperor,  and  perhaps  be  called  back  to  continue  the 
conversation,  looked  around  him  and  perceiving  a 
convenient  sofa,  stretched  himself  upon  it  and  Avent  to 
sleep.  M.  de  Menneval,  His  Majesty's  secretary,  was 
unwilling  to  go  to  bed  until  after  ]\I.  de  Talleyrand 
should  have  withdrawn,  as  the  Emperor  might  need 
him  after  the  minister's  departure ;  hence  he  was 
very  impatient  at  this  long  audience.      Nor  was  I 


834  MEMOIBS   OF  CONSTANT 

in  a  better  humor;  for  it  was  impossible  for  me  to 
go  to  bed  until  I  had  taken  away  His  Majesty's 
light.  ]\I.  de  Meiineval  came  to  me  ten  times  to 
ask  whether  Prince  de  Talleyrand  was  gone.  "  He 
is  still  there,"  said  I,  "  I  am  sure  of  it,  and  yet  I  hear 
nothing."  At  last  I  begged  him  to  stay  in  the  room 
where  I  was,  and  on  which  the  entrance  door  opened, 
while  I  would  go  and  stand  sentry  in  a  private 
cabinet  into  which  the  Emperor's  chamber  had 
another  exit;  and  it  was  agreed  that  whichever  of 
the  two  should  see  the  Prince  go  out,  should  notify 
the  other.  Two  o'clock  struck,  then  three,  then 
four;  no  one  appeared;  not  the  slightest  movement 
in  the  chamber  of  His  Majesty.  Losing  patience  at 
last,  I  pushed  the  door  ajar  as  softly  as  possible ;  but 
the  Emperor,  who  was  always  a  light  sleeper,  awoke 
with  a  start  and  loudly  demanded:  "Who  is  there? 
who  goes  there?  who  is  it?"  I  replied  that,  think- 
ing that  the  Prince  de  Benevento  had  gone  out,  I 
had  come  to  take  the  light.  "  Talleyrand !  Talley- 
rand ! "  His  Majesty  exclaimed  quickly ;  "  where  is 
he  then?  "  and  seeing  him  wake  up :  "  Well,  I  believe 
he  fell  asleep !  How,  you  rascal,  you  sleep  in  my 
house !  ah !  ah ! "  I  went  away  without  taking  the 
light;  they  began  talking  again,  and  M.  de  Menne- 
val  and  I  waited  the  end  of  the  tete-a-tete  until  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

The  Emperor  had  been  accustomed  to  take  coffee 
with  cream,  or  else  chocolate  when  working  at  night; 
but  he  had  abandoned  the  habit,  and  under  the  Empire 


MEMOIRS   OF  CONSTANT  335 

he  no  longer  took  anything,  unless  at  times,  but  very 
rarely,  either  some  j^unch  almost  as  weak  as  lemon- 
ade, or  an  infusion  of  orange  flowers  or  tea. 

The  Emperor,  who  endowed  the  majority  of  his 
generals  so  magnificently,  who  was  so  liberal  to  his 
armies,  and  to  whom,  on  the  other  hand,  France  owes 
so  many  fine  monuments,  was  not  at  all  generous^ 
but,  if  I  must  say  it,  a  little  miserly  in  his  house- 
hold. Perhaps  he  somewhat  resembled  those  rich 
vain  persons  who  economize  very  closely  at  home  in 
order  to  shine  more  brilliantly  abroad.  He  made 
very  few,  not  to  say  no  presents,  to  his  attendants. 
Even  New  Year's  day  passed  without  unloosening 
his  purse-strings.  "  Well,  Monsieur  Constant,"  said 
he  to  me,  pinching  my  ear,  "  what  are  you  going  to 
give  me  for  New  Year's  ?  "  The  first  time  he  asked 
this  question,  I  replied  that  I  would  give  him  what- 
ever he  liked,  but  I  confess  that  I  greatly  hoped  that 
on  the  next  day  it  would  not  be  I  who  would  give 
presents.  It  seems  that  the  idea  never  occurred  to 
him;  for  no  one  was  called  on  to  thank  him  for  his 
gifts,  and  never  afterwards  did  he  depart  from  this 
rule  of  domestic  economy.  Apropos  of  this  ear- 
pinching  to  which  I  return  so  many  times,  because 
His  Majesty  himself  returned  to  it  so  often,  I  must 
say  while  I  think  of  it,  and  to  be  done  with  it,  that 
it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  he  con- 
tented himself  with  lightly  touching  the  part  exposed 
to  his  marks  of  favor;  he  squeezed  very  roughl}-,  to 
the  contrary,  and  I  have  remarked  that  he  pinched 


336  ME3I0IES   OF  CONSTANT 

hardest  when  he  was  in  the  best  humor.  Sometimes, 
as  I  was  entering  his  room  to  dress  him,  he  would 
rush  at  me  like  a  madman,  and  while  saluting  me 
with  his  favorite  greeting:  "^A  hien,  monsieur  h 
(7;'o^e  I"' would  pinch  both  ears  at  once  in  a  way  to 
make  me  cry  out;  it  was  not  even  rare  for  him  to 
add  to  these  soft  caresses  one  or  two  slaps  very  well 
laid  on ;  I  Avas  sure  then  of  finding  him  in  a  charm- 
ing humor  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  full  of  benev- 
olence, as  I  have  so  often  seen  him.  Roustan,  and 
even  Marshal  Berthier,  Prince  de  Neufchatel,  re- 
ceived their  own  good  share  of  these  imperial  marks 
of  affection ;  I  have  frequently  seen  them  with  their 
cheeks  all  red  and  their  eyes  almost  weeping. 


END    OF   VOLUME  I 


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